Before the break of dawn, thousands of people gathered on Alcatraz Island Monday morning, joining First Nation people from across North America in an annual celebration of Indigenous resilience and solidarity.
Hosted by the International Indian Treaty Council, this year’s Sunrise Gathering marked the 45th October celebration on Alcatraz. In addition to honoring Indigenous People’s Day, the ceremony commemorated the 1969 Indigenous occupation of the island, which ignited a movement for justice that continues to influence Indigenous activism today.
“Celebrating this every year is such a big deal because there was one point where we weren’t even acknowledged as existing,” said Vanessa Marquez, of the Apache Pueblo tribe. “To see so many different races and so many different people here enjoying and praying together, [it’s] beautiful.”
People began gathering around San Francisco’s Pier 36 starting at 4:00 a.m. to board one of three ferries bound for Alcatraz before sunrise. Attendees protected themselves from the cold ocean breeze with blankets and sweaters, some still drowsy from the early wake-up.
Many wore traditional headpieces, jewelry and feathers unique to their tribes, while others carried their full dance regalia packed inside small gray suitcases. Families, friends and student groups huddled together on the ferry, careful not to lose each other in the growing crowd.
As they made their way up the island, participants gathered around a bonfire on the parade grounds, where prayers, dances and songs filled the five-hour ceremony. Tribal members offered blessings to the crowd as sage burned, sending smoke drifting into the air. As the sun rose, dancers from various tribes spun around the bonfire, occasionally inviting the crowd to join in.
This year’s gathering, the largest October celebration to date, drew around 2,500 people, according to IITC Executive Director Andrea Carmen, of the Yaqui Nation.
“We’ve been focusing this year on restoration and resilience of our culture,” Carmen told El Tecolote. “We are seeing a lot of places where Indigenous peoples are standing up to undo the damage that’s been done.”
The Palestinian struggle also featured prominently at the ceremony. Many attendees and dancers wore keffiyeh scarves, and during a dabke dance circle, participants held hands and chanted “Free Palestine” while others waved Palestinian flags near the bonfire.
“We know the pain that they’re going through because that’s what we went through,” one of the speakers said during the ceremony. “That’s what our people went through.”
During the event, Indigenous participants reflected on recent movements as a source of both shared pain and pride, including the fight to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day, battles for food and land sovereignty in South Dakota, or ongoing efforts to reclaim Indigenous artifacts from universities.
The event concluded with a performance by Aztec danzantes, who offered their sacred dance in solidarity with Standing Rock.
“Indigenous People’s Day shouldn’t just be today, but rather every day,” said Álvaro Tellez, whose group has participated in the Sunrise Gathering for over 30 years. “Indigenous people are still alive and it’s important to recognize all these First Nation peoples.”
Tickets for the Nov. 28 Sunrise Gathering are available on the City Experiences website.
