“We envision a Bay Area in which Ohlone language and ceremony are an active, thriving part of the cultural landscape, where Ohlone place names and history is known and recognized and where intertribal Indigenous communities have affordable housing, social services, cultural centers and land to live, work and pray on.” — Sogorea Te’

 

 

Sogorea Te' Land Trust is committed to the revitalization of traditional Indigenous land practices and the return of land to Indigenous peoples. The organization was founded in 2012 by a group of Indigenous women, including Corrina Gould and Johnella LaRose, who were inspired by their ancestors' resistance to colonization and land theft. The group has since grown into a larger community of Indigenous peoples and allies who work together to protect and restore local Indigenous land and culture.

 

 

One of the main goals of Sogorea Te' is to facilitate the process of rematriation, which is the returning of land to Indigenous women and their descendants as it seeks to offset historical losses.

 

In addition to their work on land return, Sogorea Te engages in activities that promote Indigenous culture and knowledge. This includes the organization of cultural revitalization, workshops, and educational programs, as well as the creation of a traditional garden in Berkeley.

 

Sogorea Te' has been involved in notable efforts to protect Indigenous land and culture in the Bay Area. They successfully stopped the development of a shopping mall on a sacred burial site in Vallejo by organizing protests and direct actions, leading to the abandonment of the project.

 

Sogorea Te' Land Trust is a powerful advocate for the revitalization of local Indigenous culture. Their dedication to rematriation and the recognition of Indigenous women's leadership is an important contribution to the broader movement for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.

 

 

Photo credits: Sogorea Te' Land Trust