SAN FRANCISCO —

Long before sunlight filled the sky, a crowd gathered around the glow of a fire. An organizer announced, "It's a good day to be Indigenous."

It was the 46th annual Indigenous Peoples Day Sunrise Gathering at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. The event not only celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day but also commemorates over 500 years of Indigenous resistance in the Americas and 56 years since the original Indigenous occupation of Alcatraz.

The ceremony included prayers, songs and dances.

Paulina and Moises Salazar, ages 15 and 13, of the Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone tribes, were two of the dancers at Monday's ceremony.

"It was our first time dancing on Alcatraz Island. It was pretty cool, and I had tons of fun," Moises said.

"Something I love about this is just be

See Full Page