Bay Area business fumbles Indigenous Peoples’ Day ad

A winery advertisement that ran in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat is raising eyebrows for its insensitive interpretation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The federal holiday, which falls on Oct. 9 this year, is still officially known as Columbus Day, after the explorer Christopher Columbus, who is credited with “discovering” America. In 1992, the city of Berkeley changed the name to Indigenous Peoples’ Day to acknowledge the truth that Native Americans had inhabited the land long before Columbus landed on the continent. The renaming was adopted by cities and states around the country, and in 2021, President Joe Biden became the first president to officially declare the day Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The ad ran Oct. 4 on page D5 of the newspaper and was placed by Trecini Winery of Santa Rosa. “Monday is about discovery of the America’s and about our Native Indians,” it reads. “Celebrate being an American! So get out there and discover something new…like our Trecini Wines!” The ad goes on to list the winery’s hours of operation, including that it no longer has a tasting room and is closed this upcoming Monday, but open Monday through Friday for purchases in the office. A photo of a man driving a tractor with a woman seated in the back on a sofa chair, clutching a wine bottle, accompanies the text.

Mendocino Voice journalist Sarah Stierch posted the ad on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday morning, calling it “racist, uneducated and stupid. … Just as #IndigenousPeoplesDay is coming up on Monday. Shame on you Press Democrat and Trecini. #IndianCountry.” By 1 p.m., the tweet had garnered nearly 2,500 views. 

Trecini Winery owner Cathy Vicini told SFGATE that the ad was a draft that was prematurely sent to the Press Democrat before she could proof it. “You can tell by the typos,” Vicini said in a phone interview Friday. “It was supposed to be ‘Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Discover a new wine.’ A Columbus kind of thing,” she said, referring to the idea that the explorer discovered America.

Vicini went on to apologize and say that she had wanted to write Native Americans instead of Native Indians, and that Oct. 9 is for celebrating Americans in general. “Indigenous encompasses everybody,” she said. “I didn’t want the ad to segregate anybody. It was a horrible mistake. I’m the furthest thing from being racist.”

SFGATE reached out to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and Santa Rosa-based Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.