Title
Staff Report for the Presentation from the Lisjan Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Chairpeople to the City of San Leandro
Staffreport
Background
At various forums, the City Council has directed staff to facilitate dialogue between the City of San Leandro and local indigenous peoples. Based on that direction, Corrina Gould, chairperson from the Ohlone Confederated Villages of Lisjan, kindly provided an introductory presentation at the June 7, 2021 City Council meeting. As part of that presentation, Ms. Gould provided an overview of the work her tribe was doing to preserve and protect their sacred sites, along with an overview of the Sogorea Te Land Trust.
In an effort to continue dialogue and collaboration, the City Council directed city staff to conduct additional outreach to other indigenous peoples of the region and invite them to attend a future Council meeting. In addition to that direction, the City Council also raised over the past year two agenda Item 14 referral requests regarding related topics. The first request raised by Council Member Azevedo directed staff to explore the renaming of a portion of the shoreline peninsula after the Ohlone tribe or indigenous people with input from relevant indigenous groups. The second request raised by Council Member Lopez directed staff to explore some form of native people’s land acknowledgement. Examples included a plaque or other physical acknowledgement, the details of which will be developed in collaboration with local tribal leaders.
Based on these requests, City staff conducted additional outreach to the local tribal groups and invited them to participate in the October 4, 2021 city council meeting agenda topic that is the subject of this report.
Presentations at the October 4th meeting will be given by the chairpeople of two independent tribal governments of the indigenous Ohlone people of the bay area. In pre-colonial times, there were many tribes with diverse ethnicities, geographies, histories, and languages that were not organized under one single unified group. As a result of the Spanish, Mexican, and US colonization, indigenous people in the bay area have organized and renamed themselves Ohlone with eight different Ohlone tribes of various territories and languages. Ms. Gould represents the Confederated Villages of Lisjan and Charlene Nijmeh represents the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Their presentations will include the following components:
• Information about their tribes’ history
• Examples of prior collaborations with other municipalities and
• Potential ways in which the City can partner with them or support them
They have also expressed an openness to further dialogue with the City Council and City staff, and their discussion at the City Council meeting is intended to provide an opportunity for the tribal leaders to share their thoughts or feedback on the above-referenced council referral requests.
Staff from the City of San Leandro Library Department have also initiated dialogue with the Muwekma tribe’s ethnohistorian to help ensure that the San Leandro history museum is accurately and respectfully sharing relevant histories of native peoples and is eager to initiate further dialogue with individuals with relevant subject matter expertise. Looking ahead to the future, City staff have also commenced dialogue about the possibility of hosting an event or events at the San Leandro Main Library or other Library facilities that could include opportunities for more in-depth presentations from tribal leaders along with opportunities to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of indigenous peoples. Staff requests the Council’s feedback or further direction regarding this concept, or any others that would serve to achieve the Council’s goals in this arena.
Highlights of Collaborative Efforts by Other Cities in the Region
Staff also presents for the Council’s consideration the following examples of actions and policies that staff identified from other public agencies in the region to facilitate partnership or public recognition of local tribal groups:
Renaming of public parks or installation of signage
• City Alameda: renaming of Jackson Park to Chochenyo Park
• City of Berkeley: renaming of Ohlone Park, creation of “Ohlone Territory” entry signage
• City of Richmond: naming of new park site as Ookwe Park
Project planning design collaboration
• City of Alameda: Sogorea Te Land Trust involved in San Leandro Bay/Oakland Alameda Estuary Adaptation Working Group for project design
Native Peoples Day recognition in lieu of Columbus Day
• City of Berkeley
• City of Richmond
• City and County of San Francisco
• City of San Leandro
• City of Santa Cruz
• State of California: recurring annual gubernatorial proclamations
Mission bell removal
• City of Santa Cruz: ceremony to remove mission bell - replaced with signage about history of violence against indigenous peoples by the missions
Cultural easement
• City of Vallejo, CA: City Council adoption of cultural easement for tribal land access at Glen Cove waterfront park
City Council Resolution
• City of Albany, CA (Sept 21, 2021 adoption):
September 21, 2021 adoption of rematriation resolution, includes policy direction related to: land recognition, analysis of public parcels for potential rematriation, curriculum evaluation, changes to signage, land acknowledgement and land tax exploration
PREPARED BY: Hoi-Fei Mok, Sustainability Manager & Eric Engelbart, Deputy City Manager