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Dr. Julia B. Parker, who received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Fresno State in 2021, once presented one of her hand-woven baskets to Queen Elizabeth II in Yosemite National Park. Today, the basket is housed at Windsor Castle.<\/p>\nIn Yosemite National Park, basket weaver Dr. Julia B. Parker spent most of her life following the traditional techniques of ancestors. Each basket reflects countless hours of careful craftsmanship, high patience and tactical dexterity. In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II visited Yosemite and Parker gave the queen one of her baskets. Today, it is housed at Windsor Castle, while other examples of her work are displayed in museums across the country.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Fresno State awarded Parker an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in recognition of her contribution to the Yosemite area and her efforts to preserve the region\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer story is one President Sa\u00fal [Jim\u00e9nez-Sandoval] loves to share at our Native graduation ceremony,\u201d said Kellie Carrillo, director of Tribal Relations at Fresno State, \u201cbecause it\u2019s one of the many good connections we have to the people and land.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parker\u2019s story reflects the type of relationships the Office of Tribal Relations works to cultivate between Fresno State and tribal nations. Established in 2025, the office\u2019s work includes cultural preservation and consultation, Native student access and success, education and relationship building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Julia B. Parker, who received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Fresno State in 2021, once presented one of her hand-woven baskets to Queen Elizabeth II in Yosemite National Park. Today, the basket is housed at Windsor Castle.<\/p>\n
Carrillo herself is a member of the Yokuts Tribe, the Indigenous people whose ancestral homeland includes the area where Fresno State now stands. Before many university events and meetings, attendees hear a land acknowledgment recognizing the Native peoples connected to the region. For Carrillo, those acknowledgments are most meaningful when they are paired with action.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission is to create and maintain relationships with tribal nations so Fresno State\u2019s priorities and tribal priorities align, while ensuring tribes have a voice in the decisions that matter to them,\u201d Carrillo said.<\/p>\n
In addition, the office helps guide the university\u2019s responsibilities related to Native American cultural resources and repatriation. Sara Lively, the repatriation coordinator, first became interested in this work more than a decade ago as a Fresno State anthropology student.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a shared space,\u201d said Lively, reflecting on the land she lives and works on. \u201cI\u2019m a guest here, and I want to learn more about the people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lively helps ensure Fresno State complies with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The university houses a collection of more than 38,000 cultural objects \u2013 including baskets, beads, pottery and other items \u2013 many of which were acquired through archaeological research and teaching conducted decades ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, as a university and as an academic discipline, must be accountable moving forward,\u201d said Dr. Dvera Saxton, a professor in the Department of Anthropology and a member of the campus California NAGPRA Committee. \u201cThat has to happen through repatriation as well as evolving our teaching and research practices to respect tribal sovereignty and protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kellie Carrillo, director of Tribal Relations; Sara Lively, repatriation coordinator; and student assistants Jordan Clark and Trishy Gonzales visit Paradise Creek Trail in Sequoia National Park.<\/p>\n
Anthropology and American Indian Studies faculty recently launched a CalNAGPRA and Repatriation certificate students can complete alongside their major. Anthropology faculty also redesigned archaeology courses to center tribal protocols, perspectives and partnerships.<\/p>\n
\u201cRepatriation is also about nurturing our relationships with tribes and listening to how else we can best serve them as a public university,\u201d Saxton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carrillo, Lively and their student assistants work collaboratively with tribal nations to facilitate the return of ancestors and cultural belongings. On a day-to-day basis, this includes storing, organizing and documenting the status of artifacts, as well as outreach and meetings with tribal members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur first measure of success is going to be when all the ancestors and their belongings are returned from Fresno State to their homes,\u201d Carrillo said. \u201cBeyond that, success means creating opportunities for Native communities on campus through community events, expanded student resources, increased Native student enrollment and coursework that reflects Native perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like a basket being woven, the work is meticulous and rewarding. Lively recalls an early meeting with tribal leaders, wherein a Yokuts elder shared something that has stayed with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cFresno State wants us here,\u201d the elder said. \u201cThey want us here, and we belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The comment still brings tears to the eyes of both Lively and Carrillo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a thousand reasons why you wouldn\u2019t feel belonging in higher education,\u201d Lively said. \u201cTo hear that was a big win and a big motivator. It reinforced that this work is about more than compliance; it\u2019s about relationships, respect and making sure tribal nations know they have a place here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Written by Esra Hashem (\u201813, \u201816, \u201821)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Yosemite National Park, basket weaver Dr. Julia B. Parker spent most of her life following the traditional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-501507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}