About Us
Truth. Relationship. Repair.
The Noyo Bida Truth Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to restore Indigenous history, language, and presence to the public story of the Mendocino Coast.
We bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together through education, cultural gatherings, Thecommunity dialogue, and Indigenous-led initiatives that deepen understanding of the history of this place and strengthen relationships rooted in truth, respect, reciprocity, and repair.
Our work begins with truth—but it does not end there.
We believe that understanding the history of where we live carries a responsibility to consider what we do with that knowledge. For us, that means moving beyond acknowledgment toward meaningful changes in how Indigenous peoples, languages, histories, and relationships with the land are represented and supported in our community.
Our Work
We are working toward a Mendocino Coast where Indigenous languages once again identify places of cultural and ecological significance; Native histories and contemporary voices are visible in our schools and public spaces; and Indigenous and non-Indigenous people have opportunities to build stronger relationships with one another and with the lands and waters we share.
Our work includes public education and community conversations, cultural gatherings and healing ceremonies, support for Indigenous-led Land Back initiatives, truthful historical signage, improved California and local Indigenous history education, a memorial honoring the victims of the Mendocino Indian Reservation, and the long-term vision of an Indigenous cultural center.
The effort to change the name of Fort Bragg remains part of this larger work. For us, returning an Indigenous name to this place is not simply about replacing one name with another. It is part of restoring Indigenous language and presence to a landscape where both have too often been erased.
Our Story
The Noyo Bida Truth Project began as Change Our Name Fort Bragg, a grassroots effort calling for the city to reconsider a name inherited from a military fort associated with the Mendocino Indian Reservation.
The fort was named for Braxton Bragg, a U.S. Army officer who later became a Confederate general and who had no lasting connection to the Mendocino Coast.
As our work grew, so did our understanding of what was needed.
Changing one name could never, by itself, address the deeper history of this place or the continuing effects of Indigenous erasure. Our work expanded to include education, cultural events, public history, Indigenous language and place names, Land Back, memorialization, and stronger relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
In 2026, Change Our Name Fort Bragg became The Noyo Bida Truth Project, reflecting this broader purpose.
Noyo Bida means “The Fishing Place” in Northern Pomo, an ancestral place name connected to this region long before the establishment of the military fort and the city that followed.
Our new name represents not only what we hope to change, but what we hope to restore: Indigenous language, historical truth, cultural presence, relationship, and memory.
Our Logo
Our logo was created by Natyia (River) Whipple of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, who was 15 years old when she created the design.
River is a young Indigenous artist whose work has been recognized throughout Northern California. Her artwork has appeared in projects connected to Tribal marine stewardship, water justice, cultural education, and community arts.
We are honored to carry her artwork as the visual identity of the Noyo Bida Truth Project.
This Work Belongs to Community
Noyo Bida is ultimately about relationship—to history, to place, to the living world, and to one another.
We believe a more truthful understanding of the past can help us make different choices in the present and create a more respectful and reciprocal future for everyone who calls the Mendocino Coast home.