Sogorea Te Land Trust facts for kids
| Founder | Corrina Gould and Johnella LaRose |
|---|
The Sogorea Te Land Trust is a special group started in 2012. It works to return traditional lands in the San Francisco Bay Area to the care of Native American people. These lands traditionally belonged to the Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone tribes. The trust also helps people build a two-way connection with the land.
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The Ohlone People and Their History
The Ohlone people have lived in what is now the Bay Area for thousands of years, since about 4000 BCE. In the 1700s, Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived. This arrival greatly changed the Ohlone people's way of life. Their population, along with other Native American groups in California, became much smaller.
Later, when California became part of the United States, the Ohlone people were not given land. They also did not receive official recognition from the United States government.
Modern Efforts to Reclaim Land
Starting in the 1970s, Ohlone people began working to get their land back. They also worked to bring back their languages and cultures. In the 1990s, Corrina Gould and Johnella LaRose started a group called Indian People Organizing for Change. Corrina Gould is a leader from the Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone tribes. Johnella LaRose has Shoshone, Bannock, and Carrizo heritage.
How the Land Trust Started
In 2011, the group Indian People Organizing for Change led a protest. They protested a building project at Glen Cove Park. This park was being built on an old Ohlone village, gathering place, and burial ground. This important site was known as Sogorea Te in the Karkin language. The protest worked, and the building stopped.
However, the land was not given to the Ohlone people. This was because the United States government does not officially recognize them as a Native American tribe. Instead, the land went to a different tribe, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. This tribe had no connection to the area or the protest. They ended up making deals with the builders.
Forming the Sogorea Te Land Trust
To stop this from happening again, Corrina Gould and Johnella LaRose started the Sogorea Te Land Trust in 2012. This trust helps Native American people collectively own and buy back their traditional lands. These lands belong to the Karkin and Chochenyo people.
The first piece of land for the trust was given by Planting Justice. This group helps improve access to healthy food. This land is in Oakland. In 2018, a second small garden was secured in West Oakland. Another piece of land in Southwest Berkeley was given to the trust in 2022. This land has been a community garden since 2004.
What the Land Trust Does
The Sogorea Te Land Trust wants to create many small pieces of land across the East Bay. This area is the traditional home of the Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone people. These lands would be used by the community. They would start with land that is owned by the city, or land that is not being used.
The organization is also building a special ceremonial space in Oakland. For the future, they hope to create a burial ground for Ohlone ancestors. They also want to have gardens for medicine plants. Educational and cultural centers for native languages and cultures are also a goal. The trust hopes to help everyone build stronger connections with the land and their community.
The Shuumi Land Tax
To help pay for their goals, the Sogorea Te Land Trust created the Shuumi Land Tax. Shuumi means "gift" in Ohlone languages. This "tax" asks people who are not Native American, but live on Ohlone land, to make payments.
This "tax" is not a legal tax. It has no connection to the United States government. But the organization calls it a "tax" to show that Native American people have self-governance over their land. The suggested amount depends on how the land is used. Renters are asked to pay a small part of their rent. Homeowners are asked to pay based on the number of rooms. Businesses are asked to pay based on their size.
In the Media
The story of how the Sogorea Te Land Trust started is shown in a film. The film is called Beyond Recognition. It was made in 2014 by Underexposed Films.
