Alexii Sigona
Alexii Sigona is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Native American Studies at UC Davis. I-le received his Ph.D. in the Department of tnvironmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. l-lis dissertation, Revitalizing Stewardship: Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Land Access through Collaborative Caretaking, examines questions of land access and environmental governance for non-federally recognized Tribal nations. I-le serves as the chair of the Lands Committee of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust, as a leader of the Amah Mutsun Youth Group, and is on the Native American Advisory Council for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Alexii developed and recorded the narrative of Lorenzo Asisara's life.
ON THE PROJECT
Places of tribals cultural significance are often sites where our communities feel a strong energy associated with the area. In some cases these are sacred sites imbued with inherent power. In other instances, such as with Mission Santa Cruz, these places were made meaningful because of preservation of Native ancestors. The process of learning the life story of Lorenzo Asisara allowed me to understand better than lived experiences of an indigenous persons living in a time of rapid socio-political change. I hope this place continues to educate the public, especially youth, about the need for cultural humility and awareness of the continued struggle of local tribal nations today.