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One More Reason Why Land Acknowledgment is Important: Letter to Museum of San Ramon Valley
The following is an email sent to John Keenan, volunteer at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, in reply to his request for topics for Zoom Lectures at the museum: Land Acknowledgement is an important step in naming and acknowledging the people who actually belong to this land. It’s a proclamation that has no […]
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Coyote Hills Translates All 35 Trail Markers to Chochenyo: Honoring the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
On Sunday, November 27, 2022, we gathered at Máyyan Šáatošikma (aka Coyote Hills Regional Park, in Fremont) to witness the unveiling of the first of 35 trail markers, redesigned, and translated into Čočeño (Chochenyo). Čočeño is the official language of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, once recognized as the Verona […]
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Open Letter to City Hall: Reach out to other affected tribes before granting exclusive rights to their land
We sent out numerous letters to City of Oakland Officials, today. [Here’s the contact list we used.] This is what the letter said: Alameda Native History Project2201 Shoreline Drive #6334Alameda, California 94501(510) 747-8423info@alamedanativehistoryproject.com October 31, 2022 Oakland City CouncilOakland City Hall1 Frank H. Ogawa PlazaOakland, CA 94612 -VIA EMAIL- Re: Proposed Cultural Conservation Easement at […]
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Self-Dealing or Ineptitude? – Sogorea Te Land Trust Easement Moves Forward Without Tribal Consultations
Now that initial excitement over the announcement of a proposed cultural easement for Ohlone people at Sequoia Point (5-acres in Joaquin Miller Park) has died down, it’s time to do the actual work of looking at the legislation proposed to Oakland City Council Members, and deciding if this really is a just, and equitable “Land […]
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Oakland City Council: Vote No on Ohlone Cultural Easement at Sequoia Point
It’s not the fact that Sogorea Te Land Trust may be receiving a Cultural Conservation Easement grant of 5-acres of land, called Seqouia Point, in Oakland’s Joaquin Miller Park that bothers me. Or that this is the product of Libby Schaaf’s (Mayor of Oakland) unilateral dealings with Corrina Gould (Spokesperson for Sogorea Te Land Trust, […]
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Help Restore the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s Federal Recognition
In this year’s California legislative session, a joint resolution between the California Senate, and California House has been introduced to restore recognition to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is Senate Joint Resolution #13. If you didn’t know, the present day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area […]
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Text of CA Senate Joint Resolution re: Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Federal Recognition
Amended in Senate June 08, 2022 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION Senate Joint ResolutionNo. 13 Introduced by Senator Cortese(Coauthor: Senator Wieckowski)(Coauthors: Assembly Members Kalra, Lee, and Low) March 07, 2022 Relative to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST SJR 13, as amended, Cortese. Muwekma Ohlone Tribe: federal recognition. This measure would urge the United […]
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Sogorea Te: Unaccredited Land Trust Facing California Tax Liens
This might seem like a repeat of the circumstances which led to the hostile take-over of the Confederated Villages of the Lisjan, INC.: A well-known non-profit organization with dubious claims of tribal sovereignty, and a lack of transparency which was suspended as a corporation by the California Franchise Tax Board for failure to pay taxes […]
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Alameda Recreation and Parks Department to ‘Pause’ Collaboration with Sogorea Te Land Trust
On Monday, Amy Wooldridge (Director of Alameda Parks & Recreation Department) replied to our open letter concerning the possibility of Sogorea Te Land Trust being given a portion of Linear Park, in Alameda–at the corner of Main Street and Singleton Avenue. In our preliminary email, asking whether or not this was true, Wooldridge told us: […]
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Thanks, But No Thanks (Toxic Land is *not* Land Back)
This is an excerpt of a letter sent to ARPD’s Amy Wooldridge, the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department Director; as well as City of Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Malia Vella; and Council Members: Tony Daysog, Trish Herrera Spencer, and John Knox White [who made the original announcement concerning the indigenous land management of […]