Rematriating the land is about restoring balance in the natural world and about Indigenous feminist activism, says Gould. And in this time of climate disaster, it’s als about speaking up for all of those who don’t have a voice. Photo by Toby McLeod.
Historic Land Back Victory: West Berkeley Shellmound Returns to Lisjan Nation
After years of struggle, Indigenous activists and allies rejoiced last week, as the Berkeley City Council announced a global settlement to purchase West Berkeley’s historic Ohlone Shellmound village site and pass title of the land to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. The 2.2-acre parcel is the last undeveloped portion of the first human settlement in the Bay Area where, more than 5,000 years ago, ancestors of today’s Ohlone people created a unique way of life at the mouth of Strawberry Creek. It is believed this deal will be the largest and most expensive urban #LandBack victory in California history — and perhaps in U.S. history.
On this episode of Terra Verde’s Fiona McLeod speaks with Corrina Gould, Chairperson of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, and co-founder of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, about what it took to secure this historic victory, and what’s next for the West Berkeley Shellmound village site.
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