Alameda Native History Project
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New Confederated Villages of the Lisjan, INC. parts ways with Corrina Gould
  • Gabriel Duncan
  • January 24, 2022
  • 17:43
  • 0 comments
The Confederated Villages of the Lisjan, INC. has changed from a mutual benefit corporation, to a Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to “relief of poverty in urban rez (sf bay area), mutual aid admin.” This is a change from the tribal government Confederated Villages of the Lisjan, INC was purporting itself to be. The original Confederated… Continue reading New Confederated Villages of the Lisjan, INC. parts ways with Corrina Gould
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Who are the people who inhabited the area now known as the City of Alameda?
  • Gabriel Duncan
  • November 15, 2021
  • 12:08
  • 0 comments
A Frequently Asked Question about Ohlone People, the First Alamedans, and the Tribe Fighting for Federal Re-Recognition. This is one such reply.
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The Side Effects of Institutional Gatekeeping of Tribal Knowledge & Native American Sacred Sites and Cultural Assets
  • Gabriel Duncan
  • January 3, 2022
  • 16:22
  • 0 comments
From the beginning of my life, I never had the opportunity to learn about my culture, or where I was from. For the first 12 years of my life, I never even saw another Paiute person. This was because I was adopted at birth. I knew that I was Native American. That I should be… Continue reading The Side Effects of Institutional Gatekeeping of Tribal Knowledge & Native American Sacred Sites and Cultural Assets
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What Does “Save Shellmounds, Not Parking Lots” Even Mean?
  • Gabriel Duncan
  • November 8, 2021
  • 12:22
  • 0 comments
It’s not just a salty catch-phrase. It’s a plea for reason, and a plan to move forward in realizing the protection and return of sacred Native American sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. The only way to protect sacred sites, like Shellmounds, and Petroglyphs, is by actively protecting them. This means: Recognizing the difference… Continue reading What Does “Save Shellmounds, Not Parking Lots” Even Mean?
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Who, What, and Where is Lisjan?
  • Gabriel Duncan
  • October 27, 2021
  • 10:17
  • 0 comments
“Lisjan” has been referred to as a Traditional Ohlone Village Site, in East Oakland. Both the San Leandro Creek, and San Lorenzo Creek bear the name of “Lisjan” creek. But “Lisjan” isn’t even an Ohlone word. “Lisjan” is what Nisenan People call the city of Pleasanton, California. And, just to be clear: Pleasanton wasn’t called… Continue reading Who, What, and Where is Lisjan?
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Alameda Shellmounds Map

The first, and original, Alameda Shellmound Map, by Gabriel Duncan. This map aggregates the pre-existing work by N.C. Nelson (on the Shellmounds of the San Francisco Bay Region); and Alameda’s own Imelda Merlin (from “Alameda: A Geological History”); and expounds on them, by tying in historical newspaper articles, and City of Alameda records, to create the most detailed, and complete picture of the Alameda Shellmounds to date.
Alameda Shellmounds Map

Map of the Shellmounds of the San Francisco Bay Area

The larger sequel to the Alameda Shellmounds Map. This map was hand-plotted using a specially reprojected version of the N.C. Nelson map showing the distribution of shellmounds in the San Francisco Bay Region. While not all points are completely plotted, this interactive map helps to illustrate the density and prevalence of shellmounds in the Bay Area; and illuminate the concept of “Native Land” in a way which is more immediate, and tangible to contemporary learners.
SF Bay Area Shellmounds Map

Mission

  • To present the Indigenous History of the place we now call the “City of Alameda” with accuracy and respect to Ohlone People.
  • To make space for Ohlone people in their own traditional homeland.
  • To recognize and acknowledge the sovereignty of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, and their 10,000 year history of continuous habitation of the place we call the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • To update and reimagine the visual aids, diagrams, and infographs from studies and publications near the turn of the 20th century into newer, more nuanced, accurate and relevant material that can be referenced in today’s classrooms, museums, and parks.
  • To provide local institutions the materials, research, and information necessary to update their exhibits.
  • To create impactful graphic designs to educate, inform, and advocate for indigenous issues, as well as other social justice & environmental causes and movements, and some nonpartisan campaigns in solidarity, and to provide material support.

Goals

  • Accurate and meaningful representation of Ohlone people in Alameda (beyond land acknowledgment–which is not representation.)
  • Awareness that:
  • Ohlone people are still alive;
  • The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is composed of the descendants of the survivors of Missions San Jose, Santa Clara, and Delores, and descendants of the Verona Band of Alameda County, a Federally Recognized Tribe;
  • Muwekma’s struggle for Federal Recognition and Land Back.
  • Public awareness of shellmounds, and the grisly uses of the Alameda (and San Francisco Bay Area) Shellmounds.
  • Foster relationship between local government and tribal government.
  • Protect and preserve shellmounds and sacred sites, establish historical districts, and more, in partnership with local land owners, businesses, agencies and government.
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Alameda, California 94501

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