Land Access
We are committed to the preservation and revitalization of the the rich cultural heritage of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Through collaboration with landowners and managers we aim to gain access to land and buildings for tribal members in ancestral territory to support environmental stewardship, resource gathering, native gardens, individual wellness and reflection, tribal gatherings, overnight family campouts, ceremony including sweat lodges, and reburial.
What kind of land access? Where?
Our tribe has a profound respect for nature, and the responsible gathering of these resources aligns with our cultural practices. We understand the importance of maintaining the ecological balance of your property and assure you that our members will follow sustainable harvesting practices. We acknowledge the significance of open spaces, and we are committed to ensuring that our activities on your property are conducted respectfully and responsibly. We would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss any terms or conditions you may have in mind and to address any concerns you might have.
Our homeland includes the following counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, most of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and portions of Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano and San Joaquin.
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The specific plants that our tribal members are seeking on your property hold significant cultural value for us. They include: Mugwort, Black sage, Osha root, Cedar, Elderberry (Elderberry flower and Elderberry stick), White sage, Rue, Mint, Pepper Tree, and Ponderosa Pines for Pine Nuts.
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We are also looking for feathers from birds that have naturally fallen or been found dead. The birds who hold significant cultural value for us include: Corvids: Common Crow, Yellow-billed Magpie; Gulls: Western Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake; Hawks and Falcons: Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel; Pelicans and Waterfowl: California Brown Pelican, Aleutian Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan, Trumpeter Swan; Herons and Egrets: Great Egret, Great Blue Heron; and Grebes and Auks: Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Common Murre, Cassin's Auklet, Rhino Auklet, Marbled Murrelet, Common Guillemot
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We are also keenly interested in sustainable food sources and edible plants that nature generously provides. If you have fruit-bearing trees on your property, we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to harvest from them. Specifically, we are interested in fruits and vegetables such as persimmon, orange, pear, and avocado. Your consideration in supporting our access to these natural resources would contribute significantly to the well-being of our community.
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We are looking for sites and land management partners that can provide land that supports accommodations for tribal gatherings and ceremonies, overnight family campouts, or a sweat lodge.
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We are also open to land owners and managers who would like to discuss potential collaborations which will create an environmental stewardship program or native garden with employment opportunities for Muwekma Ohlone Tribal members.
Interested in partnership?
If you have a land access partnership opportunity to support the needs described above, please email info@muwekmafoundation.org with more information. If there is potential alignment, we would appreciate meeting with your agency to explore ways in which we can collaborate in support of land access for the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.