Association of Ramaytush Ohlone

Introduction: Sovereignty and RestorationThe Ramaytush Ohlone (rah-my-toosh oh-lone-ee) are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula and are represented by the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO). Spanish, Mexican, and American colonization of California displaced our ancestors from our homeland and resulted in the near complete genocide of our people and culture. Of the original approximately 2,000 Ramaytush Ohlone who occupied the San Francisco Peninsula prior to colonization, only one lineage is known to have survived. To the best of our knowledge, none of our members have lived in our ancestral homeland for about 150 years and none of members have held land in our ancestral homeland for over 250 years. Because our cultural and spiritual traditions require that we be in direct relationship with our ancestral lands, our return is necessary for us to become whole as a people and for the broadening and deepening of the exercise of our sovereignty. In this instance, sovereignty means more than self-governance. Sovereignty refers also to cultural continuanceto our ability to continue into the future as a culturally distinct group of people with a shared ancestry. As Native peoples our primary responsibilities are to care for the natural world and to care for the people who reside in our ancestral homeland. Because we lack the resources (human power, technical knowledge, etc.) to fulfill some of our responsibilities to care for the earth and to care for people, we partner with other like-minded organizations and agencies who are able to work in concert with Native peoples. All of this restorative workthe revitalization of our culture, the restoration of the earth, and our ability to care for marginalized peoples, especially other Indigenous peoplesrequires financial, legal, and human resources. The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) is the vehicle for the restorative work that evolves out of our ancestral and cultural responsibilities. Our primary project areas include 1) rematriation (land acquisition); 2) the revitalization of our culture, language, and community; 3) research, consultation, and education; 4) ecological restoration; 5) community service, especially community farms and gardens for Indigenous and other disadvantaged communities; and 6) re-indigenization through art and culture. All of these efforts are enacted within our aboriginal tribal territory, which includes all of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties and the northwestern portion of Santa Clara County.Part I. Project Areas1. Land Rematriation: Rematriation, as opposed to repatriation, refers to the giving back the earth to our Earth Mother, or, more specifically, returning care for the earth back to the original caretakers who employ perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge in their caretaking of Mother Earth.The Ramaytush Ohlone Land Trust (ROLT) is the official land trust of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula. The primary goal of the ROLT is to acquire lands or to gain access to lands or to co-manage lands within our ancestral homeland for the following purposes: 1) Stewardship: to restore the health of the land; 2) Service: to work with the land in service of others; and 3) Cultural Revitalization: to reanimate our traditions and ceremonies.The actual acquisition of lands "owned," leased, or accessed has been based on developing relationships with the legal owners of said lands, most of whom are agencies and organizations like the Public Utilities Commission, the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks, and the Peninsula Open Space Trust. Over the past two years, we have developed relationship with these various partners and our working on terms for acquisition, management, and access. With our land trust and land trust attorney now in place, we can move forward with these and other merging land trust projects, including cultural revitalization, ecological restoration, and community farms and gardens.The primary goals of rematriation are to acquire, manage, and access lands for the purposes of cultural revitalization, ecological restoration and community farms and gardens. In regards to cultural revitalization, the long-term goals are to find a significant property of 500-1000 acres to reanimate ceremonial practices and restore our community. In regards to ecological restoration, the ARO does not need to hold land to restore and preserve it; nonetheless, holding land makes it easier to tend the land over time. In regards to community farms and gardens, the goals would be to acquire the lands and make them available first to Native peoples and second to other disadvantaged communities to enhance food security and food sovereignty, and to provide access to green space for members of marginalized communities that comparatively lack green space in their communities.Projects: Filoli (San Mateo County), Golden Gate Park (San Francisco County), San Pedro Point (San Mateo County), CalTrans Right-of-Way (Montara)2. Cultural Revitalization and Community Restoration: The near total genocide of our ancestors was accompanied by a culturcide as wellto date we have very little left our culture and language, and so one of our primary goals is to reanimate our traditions and to establish new traditions in our homeland. In addition, we are working toward reestablish our community in our ancestral homeland after years of displacement.Projects: Ohlone Culture and Language in J. P. Harringtons Field Notes, Protection and Restoration of Sacred Sites (confidential), cultural resource management, and others.3. Research, Consultation, and Education: The ARO has and will continue to produce publicly available research on California Indian history and culture, including scholarship on Ramaytush and Ohlone peoples. The ARO continues to consult with other entities on interpretive projects involving Native peoples. In addition, the ARO participates in public education at a number of levels, from the development of curriculum to the offering public presentations. In our ecological work, we will partner with practitioners from area universities, to advance the understanding of climate health and resiliency. Projects: Mapping Yelamus Historical Landscape, K-12 Teacher Workshops, and other trainings, presentations, and workshops.4. Ecological Restoration: Our responsibility to care for Mother Earth can be captured in the contemporary language of ecological restoration, which includes protection and preservation. Because the ARO lacks the resources necessary to accomplish its ecological restoration goals, we partner with other organizations on restoration projects. The goals are multiple--to increase carbon sequestration, increase water retention, increase soil health, enhance habitat and wildlife corridors, etc. The ARO is currently involved in a number of ecological restoration projects and has developed relationships with ecological restoration partners in the area. Some of our current (major) projects are listed below.Projects (ongoing): Presidio Trust, Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project, Pilarcitos Creek, San Pedro Creek, Pedro Point, San Francisquito Creek, Sunset Natural Resilience Project, Portero Nuevo Farm, Yosemite Creek, and others. 5. Community Service: Our responsibility to care for the people who reside in our ancestral homeland manifests in a variety of ways, from providing services for Indigenous and other marginalized communities to advocacy at the highest levels of government. Our community farms and gardens program will provide opportunities to fulfill that responsibility. Also, we want to ensure that the farm/garden project fits in with our ecological standards and practices as much as is feasible and reasonable. Projects (ongoing): Indigenous Garden at Golden Gate Park, Mount Sutro, Twin Peaks Visitor Center, Street Tree Nursery, Jackson Park, and others.6. Arts and Cultures: the ARO participates in the arts and cultures in the City of San Francisco in a number of ways by offering workshops, trainings, and consultation for artists, curators, and related staff. The ARO is currently designing murals at 730 Stanyan, University High School, the Public Library, and California College for the Arts. We are working with the Oberlin Dance Collective and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco to create a three-part series on Indigenous Performance Art.Projects: 3300 Mission (faade), 730 Stanyan (mural), San Francisco Public Library (mural), University High School, Lamchin Interpretive Center at Filoli, California College of the Arts (mural), training for arts and culture staff, consultation on art projects, and others.Part II. Organizational GoalsIn 2025 the ARO continued to develop its infrastructure (benefits, strategic plan, etc.) and to hire additional staff to meet administrative needs. In 2025 our goals were to finalize the infrastructure and hire additional staff. In 2026 we will likely hire a Tribal Historic