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Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Sonoma State University Celebrate Opening of Refurbished Center at SSU’s Osborn Preserve

On Tuesday, January 16, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR) and Sonoma State University (SSU), celebrated the opening of the FIGR Learning Center at SSU’s Fairfield Osborn Preserve, marking what Claudia Luke, Director of SSU’s Center for Environmental Inquiry called the beginning of a profound, place-based partnership.

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The University of Utah honors scholar Greg Sarris with Award in Environmental Humanities

As chair of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Greg Sarris, distinguished chair emeritus of Native American Studies at Sonoma State University, has an extensive body of humanities work that spans media and genres: novels, memoir, film, theater, and more. In recognition of the work he has done to protect Indigenous knowledges, lands, and peoples, Sarris will receive the 2023 Utah Award in the Environmental Humanities from the University of Utah’s Environmental Humanities Graduate Program.

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Sundance Institute Receives $4M To Support Indigenous Filmmakers In California

The Federated Indians of Granton Rancheria has gifted the Sundance Indigenous Program $4 million to empower Indigenous filmmakers from California tribes. The gift will help fund a fellowship, workshops and grants for Indigenous creators in the state.

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Ceremony marks start of $1 billion Graton Resort and Casino expansion

Plans at the 254-acre casino site call for a gaming floor almost twice the current size, with 2,000 more slot machines and an additional 200-plus hotel rooms, making it one of California’s three largest gaming facilities, led by the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino on the outskirts of San Bernardino. The $1 billion expansion is shaping up as the largest commercial construction project in Sonoma County in years.

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This Bay Area Company Raised Wages in the Pandemic. Will more follow?

Earlier this month, Duroux and the other 2,000 employees at the casino hit a sort of jackpot of their own when their hourly pay was voluntarily increased by a minimum of between $2.50 and $3.25. Workers who earn tips will see their pay increased to $17.50 per hour while non-tipped workers will get $18.50 hourly. Salaried employees will see bonuses of 10% and the company pays in full for employee medical plans if they work more than 20 hours per week along with providing meals.

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Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Point Reyes National Seashore Announce Partnership

On Monday, August 9, 2021, a General Agreement for a Government-to-Government Partnership was signed between the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (Tribe) and the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12, which specifically includes the Point Reyes National Seashore and those sections of Marin County which are administrated by the Superintendent of Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS).

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How this $250K grant aims to support Sonoma County migrant families

To help their efforts, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR) presented the collaborative with a $250,000 grant to continue to provide needed legal and social services for the underserved.

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Petaluma Profile: Greg Sarris brings Miwok myths to life

“I had never written a children’s story, so I turned to the classics like the Brothers Grimm, where a beautiful maiden is rescued by a handsome and powerful male hero. The contrast between them and the Miwok, female-centric tales was obvious, but the most noticeable thing is the level of violence and gruesome deaths in the classic fairy tales.”

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UCLA Law receives $15 million to boost study of Native American law and policy

“Tribal law is a cornerstone of Native Americans’ quest for equality and inclusion within the U.S. justice system,” said Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris, who received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and returned to teach English for more than a decade.

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Greg Sarris’ ‘Citizen’ a Highlight of Word for Wordcast’s Adaptations of Short Fiction

As Salvador, the aforementioned abandoned son, Edie Flores smoothly moves the bulk of the narrative forward, his voice coloring each passage with a golden resonance.

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Outstanding Voices: Graton Rancheria Resort and Casino’s Greg Sarris believes equality is all about inclusion

A writer and academic who has taught at UCLA, Loyola Marymount University and Sonoma State University, Sarris helped lead the Graton Rancheria tribe’s restoration as a federally recognized American Indian nation

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Against the Odds

“If something is wrong, you try to make it right.”

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Staff Spotlight: Greg Sarris

“I believe that leading and teaching use many of the same skills, but it is important for me to keep the two hats separate,” said Sarris.

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