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Local tribal leaders breaking ground on the new California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento. The center will provide educational material on California tribes, as well as a place of belonging for Native people in the area.<\/p>\n
The Governor’s Office<\/p>\n
Tribes and Gov. Gavin Newsom broke ground on the long awaited California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
The new center, which will replace the California State Indian Museum in midtown, will reside at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers.<\/p>\n
The first phase of the center is expected to be finished by this fall, according to the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
What will be at the center?<\/p>\n
The California Indian Heritage Center\u2019s home will be on a 51-acre property within the confluence. As the center officially begins construction, the first phase includes a welcome area with cultural and education information, amphitheater seating, bathrooms and parking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe area offers a space for all to enjoy the outdoors, as they reflect on the diversity, stewardship, expertise, and cultures of California tribes,\u201d the governor\u2019s office press release said. \u201c(They are the) first and original stewards of this land.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally started in 2007, the project was halted due to budgetary constraints<\/a>, Larry Myers, the chairperson of the center, previously told The Sacramento Bee. But 11 years later, the center\u2019s construction began after the project received $100 million in the governor\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n The whole museum is set to be completed by 2030, according to Myers.<\/p>\n California has 109 federally recognized tribes within 34 counties across the state, according to the Northern California Indian Development Council.<\/a><\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom said the center is a part of his almost eight-year-long effort to collaborate with tribes. He said he has worked with California tribes to \u201crecognize past wrongs, address them where possible, and establish new systems, resources, and initiatives to help Native communities thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe California Indian Heritage Center will be a long-standing part of this work, teaching generations yet to come about one of the fundamental parts of the state\u2019s heritage,\u201d Newsom said in a statement.<\/p>\n California has the largest Native American population in the country with more than 700,000 people in the state, according to the United States Census Bureau.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, 175 years into California\u2019s statehood, we can finally say that we are following through on a commitment to honor the First People of this place,\u201d Christina Snider-Ashtari, California\u2019s tribal affairs secretary, said in a statement.<\/p>\n Despite having the biggest statewide population, the Native community is small in the Sacramento region. In Sacramento County, Native people are around 1% of the population, according to the United States Census Bureau.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHaving a place where all California Native people can see that they are genuinely celebrated and belong as the foundational people of this state is worth the time and effort it has taken to get here,\u201d Snider-Ashtari said in a press release.<\/p>\n Myers told The Bee the center seeks to be a place of belonging for Native people, a place where they can \u201cjust be\u201d and have no feelings of being an outcast.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re different. Everyone else is different. You don\u2019t feel quite right. You\u2019re kind of alert to where you are and who\u2019s looking at you,\u201d Myers previously said. \u201c(But the center) will be a place where there will be other Indian people. You\u2019ll feel comfortable and you\u2019ll feel at home.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CA-Heritage-Museum.jpg\" "\\"CA-Heritage-Museum.jpg\\"")
A map of phase one of the California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento. Local tribes and Gov. Gavin Newsom began construction of the project on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. California Indian Heritage Center \u2018Worth the time and effort\u2019<\/p>\n
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