Recent and Current Activities of Tribe Members
People who identify as Ohlone or specifically Muwekma Ohlone live throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. They are not extinct and were not eradicated by colonialism despite the facts they have not received tribal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and do not have federally recognized land. Members host pow-wows and other events to reclaim and keep their culture alive, in addition to actively working to acquire land for the tribe (see the link to the Sogorea Te Land Trust, below, as one example of this). There are a variety of parks and monuments named in honor of the tribe, as well as continuing efforts to draw more attention to the fact that Bay Area residents live on Ohlone ancestral lands.
First Families: a photographic history of California Indians by Call Number: Folio E78.C15 L46 2007ISBN: 9781597140706Publication Date: 2007-07-01
She Sang Me a Good Luck Song by Call Number: E78.C15 A485 2015ISBN: 9781597143004Publication Date: 2016-08-01
Tamien Nation
- Tamien Nation WebsiteThe Tamien Nation identifies itself as the tribe most directly indigenous to Santa Clara County.
Muwekma Ohlone Website
The tribe's website is a a great and easy way to start your research and it is especially valuable because it is authored by individuals who identify as Ohlone themselves, enabling researchers to hear from them directly and not through the intermediary of a specialist in anthropology, history, or archives.
- Muwekma Ohlone WebsiteThe tribe's website is rich in resources including history, images, activities, and publications.
Federal Recognition Initiatives
In addition to searching the news sources listed below, here are a selection of articles and information about the push for federal recognition currently being undertaken by the Muwekma Ohlone, or works that offer perspectives and theory about federal recognition for American Indian tribes.
- SCIENCE: Ancient DNA could help California tribe get federal recognitionIn unusual collaboration, Ohlone join scientists to trace their ancestry back more than 2000 years
- Ancient and modern genomics of the Ohlone Indigenous population of CaliforniaOpen Access article from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),
News Sources
- Mercury News Historical and Current Collection This link opens in a new windowFull text of the newspaper from 1985 to the present. Search tip: do an advanced search for Ohlone and limit to title, lead/first paragraph, etc. You may also wish to use the Boolean operator AND NOT to omit results about Ohlone College, etc.
- San Francisco Chronicle This link opens in a new windowFull text of the newspaper from 1985 to the present. Search tip: do an advanced search for Ohlone and limit to title, lead/first paragraph, or some other targeted field. You may also wish to use the Boolean operator AND NOT to omit results about Ohlone College or other institutions/landmarks named after the tribe.
- The Santa Clara student newspaperThis collection is drawn from microfilm copies of The Santa Clara, SCU’s student newspaper. The issues run from 1922, when the newspaper began, through 2013.
In the Community
- Sogorea Te Land TrustFrom the website: The Sogorea Te Land Trust is an urban Indigenous women-led community organization that facilitates the return of Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone lands in the San Francisco Bay Area to Indigenous stewardship. Sogorea Te creates opportunities for all people living in Ohlone territory to work together to re-envision the Bay Area community and what it means to live on Ohlone land. Guided by the belief that land is the foundation that can bring us together, Sogorea Te calls on us all to heal from the legacies of colonialism and genocide, to remember different ways of living, and to do the work that our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do.
- The Cultural ConservancyThe Cultural Conservancy is an organization in San Francisco that works to protect and restore indigenous cultures.
- Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) YouTube ChannelThe Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) has a variety of great educational videos related to indigenous culture on their YouTube page, which is in step with their mission as a "leading private, nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving the beauty, character and diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Cruz Mountain range."
- Advocates for Indigenous California Language SurvivalA coalition that some Ohlone members belong to where they learn and practice Chochenyo for revitalization
Ohlone and SCU
- Acknowledging the Past and Celebrating Native American History and CultureNews story from the SCU Provost's office about recent actions the University has taken on strengthening its relationship with the Muwekma Ohlone tribe.
- Appointment of the Ohlone History Working Group of Santa Clara UniversityEmail from the President's Office announcing the appointment of the Ohlone Working Group.
- Announcement of Ohlone History Working Group ReportMessage from the President's Office providing a link to the final report from the working group, as well as a description of actions that have already been taken.
- Native American Coalition for Change (SCU Registered Student Organization)The Native American Coalition for Change is a student-run group of students, faculty, and staff to provide a community for all Native students and promote Native education across campus.
- SCU Native History TourVirtual walking tour hosted on Google Earth about the Indigenous history of the Santa Clara University campus as revealed by the dedicated work of Bay Area Ohlone people utilizing archaeological materials, historical documents, oral histories, and community knowledge. This is an ongoing collaboration between members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Ohlone Indian Tribe, and the SCU Community Heritage Lab.
Protests & Statues
- Controversial Junípero Serra supported by some Indigenous Catholics, California mission workersArticle from the National Catholic Reporter discussing tensions and nuances of Serra canonization and statue toppling in June of 2020. Includes perspective of Ohlone representative Andy Galvan and SCU History Professor Emeritus Dr. Robert Senkewicz. August 11, 2020
- Opinion: A Saint’s SinsOpinion piece from the New York times discussing the tension and nuances around Serra in context with Catholic American Indians. Features quotes from Vincent Medina of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and SCU History professor emeritus Dr. Robert Senkewicz. August 16, 2020
- Don’t Slander St. Junípero SerraOpinion piece from the Wall Street Journal by Archbishop Cordileone (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco) and Archbishop Gomez (Archdiocese of Los Angeles) defending the legacy of Fr. Serra. September 12, 2021.
- The Responsibility of Junípero SerraOpinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal rebutting the assertions made by the two California archbishops the previous week (see "Don’t Slander St. Junípero Serra," above) by Peter B. Brown, professor at Rhode Island College. September 23, 2021.
- Why California had to replace Junípero Serra statue on the Capitol grounds in SacramentoOpinion piece by Jesus Tarango, chairman of the Rancheria Tribe in Elk Grove and practicing Catholic, from the Sacramento Bee agreeing with the decision to remove the Serra statue from the Sacramento Capitol. September 30, 2021.
- California and the Erasure of Junipero Serra's LegacyNews piece covering developments and conflicts related to the removal of Serra statues from Real Clear Politics. October 19, 2021.