Federated Indians of California (1946-1978)

The Federated Indians of California (FIC) formed in 1946 to press a land claims case before the federal government. Inspired by the Indian Claims Commission Act (1946) and the failures of the CA Indians Jurisdictional Act (1928), they sought (unsuccessfully) to unify all California Native nations and landless Indians under a single claim. Although this goal proved unattainable, their political activism fostered important mid-century strides in cultural revivification and self-representation.

Showing posts with label Bryte Memorial Hall. Show all posts

Monday, April 27, 2015

Fifteenth Anniversary Dance

While working on a chapter about Marie Potts's participation in the American Indian Chicago Conference, I ran across this front page story about the FIC celebrating its 15th anniversary with a dance at the VFW Memorial Hall in Bryte on March 18, 1961 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Reading the directions made me wonder what the Mecca Club was like. Is it still there?

Apologies for the poor quality of this 2nd generation copy

Monday, March 4, 2013

First Families Exhibit Opens March 7

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Valentine's Day

While the Smoke Signal was primarily a vehicle for delivering news about California Indian land claims cases, it also offered holiday greetings and news of upcoming dances and other opportunities for socializing, as seen in these examples drawn from the early 1950s.

Stay tuned (or email me) for information about the West Sacramento Historical Society exhibit "First Families," opening in early March.