Alameda Native History Project

Tag: rematriate

  • Corrina Gould: The Myth Of Lisjan, and the Erosion of Tribal Sovereignty

    Author’s Note (Updated November 13, 2025)

    There are a number of things I want to say about this article:

    First, this is a culmination of 5+ years of research and investigation. And it was only because of the Official Statement by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area [included in full at the end of this article] that I was finally able to put together some missing pieces about Corrina Gould’s relationship to Muwekma–specifically, her descent and her belonging to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. During the course of researching this matter, I interviewed Tribal Attorneys, as well as members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, and representatives from several local organizations who freely volunteered their reasons for no longer working with Corrina Gould.

    Second, despite several comments by Deja Gould on public posts, neither Deja Gould, nor her mother, Corrina Gould have directly answered any of the questions presented during the course of our investigation. Sogorea Te Land Trust has only provided legally required documentation related with their tax filing and reporting duties and responsibilities as a charitable organization.

    Third, I used ChatGPT to help me write this article. Specifically because I needed help keeping track of the sections, its tone, and to make sure that I created something complete and ready for publication. That said, the facts presented in this article are not AI hallucinations. This article was carefully constructed and painstakingly reviewed, over and over again, to ensure the veracity and completeness of the information presented here. My sources are open and available for anyone who wants to verify them.

    Fourth, I was not paid to write this article. Doing the right thing, reporting the truth, and telling the historical background of Bay Area Native American history is the mission of this project. It’s what we do. And we do it without asking for compensation. This is an independent organization, and we are beholden to no one.

    Fifth, I will not respond to personal attacks. I will not waste my time proving to anyone who I am. I do not care what you think. If your argument does not lie within the context of the material presented here, it is irrelevant to the message of this article. And your desperation to escape the truth and ignore the facts–laid bare here–is your choice.

    Finally, this article was updated in November 2025 to bring it into closer alignment with the Official Statement of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area on Corrina Gould, the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, and Sogorea Te Land Trust. As of this update, neither Corrina Gould, nor Deja Gould, nor Sogorea Te Land Trust has provided any substantive response that corrects, clarifies, or refutes the documented facts presented here or in the Tribal statement.

    1. Introduction

    For years, Corrina Gould has positioned herself as a tribal leader, a rematriation visionary, and a voice for Ohlone land return. She has founded organizations, signed land agreements, created a land tax, received millions in funding, and claimed to speak on behalf of Ohlone people. But her story is built on fiction.

    Corrina Gould is not the Chairwoman of a tribe. She is the head of a nonprofit corporation. The so-called “Confederated Villages of Lisjan” did not exist prior to 2018. It has no documented history, no enrollment records, no government, and no collective identity beyond a name she gave it. The Sogorea Te Land Trust is not an Ohlone organization. It is a nonprofit corporation led by a single unenrolled individual–someone who only discovered her genealogy because the real Ohlone tribe shared it with her.

    That tribe is the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area: the only tribal government with documented continuity, legal standing, and ancestral responsibility for this land. Muwekma are the living successors of the historic, federally recognized Verona Band of Alameda County. They descend from the Indigenous people forced into Misión San José de Guadalupe, Santa Clara de Thámien, and San Francisco de Asís, and today, Muwekma has over 600 enrolled members. They have fought for their sovereignty, defended their sacred sites, and preserved their genealogy and governance through every wave of erasure: missions, courts, colonization, and nonprofits.

    And yet, Muwekma is being erased again; this time, not by settlers, but by activists claiming their identity, collecting land and donations under their name, and silencing them with the language of “solidarity.”

    This isn’t just confusion. This is colonization, rebranded and crowd-funded. It is settler violence in a progressive disguise. It is a lie that has been funded by foundations, platformed by institutions, and repeated by people too afraid–or too lazy–to ask basic questions: Who governs this tribe? Who are its members? Where is the money going? Who was consulted? What elections have been held?

    This is a pattern of identity fraud, land misappropriation, and community displacement, and it has gone on for too long. The time for “raising questions” is over. The answers are here. And this is the record.

    2. The Myth of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan

    The “Confederated Villages of Lisjan” (CVL) did not exist prior to 2018. It has no historical precedent, no documentation in early ethnographic records, no mention in tribal enrollment rosters, no record in legal proceedings, and no lineage-based governance structure. It is not a tribe. It is a name invented by Corrina Gould–retroactively applied to give the appearance of a tribal coalition that never existed.

    The word “Lisjan” itself is poorly understood and inconsistently used. Gould cites a 1920s interview with her ancestor, José Guzmán, who described himself as “Lisjanes”–but this was simply a reference to the place he was from: the Nisenan name for the Pleasanton area. He did not say he was from a “Lisjan Tribe.” He did not describe a confederation of villages. He was a Muwekma ancestor who spoke Spanish—maybe as a third language, after Nisenan and Chochenyo–he did not speak English, and was likely describing location, not identity. And yet, Gould has used this single, mistranslated phrase to build an entire tribal identity.

    Gould publicly presents herself not just as a tribal member, but as a Tribal Chairwoman–a title that holds formal and legal weight in actual tribal governments. But her organization has no tribal enrollment. No constitutional structure. No elections. No council. No ratifying documents. There is no list of what “villages” make up the supposed confederacy. There are no lineages publicly claimed. No other representatives from these villages ever appear at events or claim descent. It is a title without a people. A nonprofit corporation posing as a nation.

    In reality, Gould descends from the very same lineages as enrolled members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. On December 13, 2005, she requested her genealogy from then Muwekma Chairwoman Rosemary Cambra, and the Tribe’s ethnohistorian, Alan Leventhal, prepared a detailed report that traced her ancestry back to specific pre conquest Ohlone villages. It was only through Muwekma’s documentation and research that she learned she descends from Muwekma ancestors. Instead of enrolling or standing with the Tribe, she took that information and built her own identity-based platform, weaponizing documentation that was shared with her in good faith.

    Her family is not excluded from Muwekma. In fact, her relatives–including her aunt and uncle, and their extended families–have been enrolled Muwekma members since 1995. Gould made a choice not to enroll. And then, she made another choice: to leverage Muwekma’s genealogy, history, and sacred sites to build her own nonprofit brand.

    She presents herself as a Tribal Chairwoman–but she is the chair of a corporation. And she uses that corporation to appear as if she governs a sovereign tribal nation, when in fact, she governs nothing but a grant-seeking nonprofit made up of herself, her daughter, and a cohort of non-Native allies and unaffiliated supporters.

    In its Official Statement, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe identifies the so-called Confederated Villages of Lisjan as pure political fiction designed to enrich Gould, and describes the group as a collection of activists, many of them non Native and unrelated to one another, who share no common tribal enrollment or traditional governance.

    The result is a cheap knock-off of a tribal government, built on the illusion of collective identity and the erasure of the very people whose legacy she claims to protect. Her statements and symbolism are packaged for public consumption. But there is no tribal infrastructure behind it. No cultural authority. No community accountability. It is a performance built on selective ancestry, strategic branding, and the quiet theft of another tribe’s history.

    3. Funded Fabrication and Institutional Complicity

    Since its creation, the Confederated Villages of Lisjan and its sister organization, Sogorea Te Land Trust, have received millions of dollars in grants, donations, and land transfers–funding that was intended to support Indigenous land return, cultural revitalization, and tribal sovereignty.

    But that funding is not going to a tribe. It’s going to a nonprofit corporation with no elections, no enrollment, no federal or state recognition, and no documented governance. The public has been led to believe that Sogorea Te Land Trust is an Ohlone-led effort to rematriate ancestral lands. But in reality, the land is not being returned to a tribe… It’s being handed to an individual–who has no interest in helping her real tribe–and her nonprofit corporation.

    The most egregious example is the West Berkeley Shellmound. In 2023, the City of Berkeley announced that it would transfer the historic site to Sogorea Te Land Trust. In the meeting minutes, the city described the action as “returning the land to the Ohlone people.” But this was a lie. Sogorea Te Land Trust is not an Ohlone tribe or tribally governed entity. The land was not returned to Muwekma–the only federally documented tribe connected to that site. Instead, it was handed to a nonprofit that claims Indigenous identity without legal or cultural accountability.

    This supposed “return” was made possible by more than twenty million dollars in grant funding to Sogorea Te Land Trust from Regan Pritzker’s Kataly Foundation–which the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe explicitly identifies in its Official Statement as a taking of Muwekma land rather than a return of land to the rightful tribal government.

    This confusion is not accidental. Gould has intentionally blurred the line between nonprofit and tribe. She invokes language like “rematriation,” “sovereignty,” and “traditional territory,” while never disclosing that her organization has no formal recognition, no election process, no ratified tribal rolls, and no council oversight. Funders and institutions allow it because it’s easier than doing the work of real consultation.

    Organizations that have partnered with CVL or STLT include:

    These institutions have played a role in fabricating legitimacy. They’ve repeated claims without verification. They’ve entered into land agreements and awarded grants without consulting the federally documented tribal government whose sovereignty they’ve bypassed.

    This is not accidental. This is the institutional funding of a fiction.

    And every time a university, foundation, or nonprofit puts Sogorea Te Land Trust on a panel, signs an MOU, or writes a check, they’re not standing with Ohlone people. They’re standing with a narrative built on erasure–one that excludes the very tribe whose homeland they claim to “rematriate.”

    4. Weaponizing Rhetoric to Avoid Accountability

    Corrina Gould frequently accuses her critics–including enrolled Muwekma members–of “perpetuating colonial violence.” She uses the language of decolonization to shield herself from scrutiny and shut down legitimate questions about her identity, governance, and funding. But this is not decolonial work–it is the strategic misuse of anti-colonial rhetoric to avoid accountability.

    This tactic has proven effective, especially among non-Native supporters who are unfamiliar with the difference between actual tribal sovereignty and self-appointed identity. In Gould’s framing, any critique becomes “lateral violence,” and any push for clarity is “divisive.” As a result, even basic questions–Who are your enrolled members? When do you hold elections? What is your governance structure?–are dismissed as hostile.

    The irony is unavoidable: Gould accuses others of colonial harm while collaborating with the very institutions that enforced settler violence–churches, universities, real estate developers, and city governments. She denounces the legacy of the Catholic mission system while operating out of a church. She claims to speak for Ohlone people while silencing Muwekma, the tribe she descends from.

    The harm here is not theoretical. Every time Gould uses progressive language to shut down real tribal voices, she reinforces the structures of colonization. She replaces truth with optics, community with control, and shared identity with personal branding.

    This isn’t what decolonization looks like. It’s what erasure looks like–draped in the language of justice, funded by people too uncomfortable to ask questions, and defended by institutions more interested in performance than accountability.

    5. A Reckoning Rooted in Research

    This project didn’t begin with opposition. It began in good faith.

    In 2020, I supported Corrina Gould. The City of Alameda was considering renaming Jackson Park to Chochenyo Park, a gesture I backed without hesitation. Gould was present at those discussions. At the time, her narrative seemed compelling. Her cause appeared righteous. Like many people, I wanted to help uplift a story that claimed to center Indigenous land and sovereignty.

    So I began researching, intending to support her work. I looked for historical records, linguistic references, maps–anything that could substantiate and elevate her cause. But what I found instead was something Gould never expected anyone to look for: the truth.

    And that truth pointed, again and again, not to a “Confederated Villages of Lisjan,” but to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area–the living successors of the Verona Band of Alameda County, recognized by the federal government in 1906 and unlawfully removed from recognition in 1927. Every credible source I found–mission records, ethnographic interviews, enrollment documents, BIA files–told the same story: this is Muwekma land, and Muwekma never left.

    It was Muwekma who preserved the genealogy. Muwekma who fought for recognition. Muwekma who kept ceremony alive and language breathing. It was Muwekma who gave Corrina Gould the documents she now uses to claim Indigenous identity–and it is Muwekma she now displaces.

    People are quick to give Corrina Gould credit–for symbolic gestures, shellmound walks, and public speaking. Some even claim she “saved the West Berkeley Shellmound.” She didn’t. The Shellmound was already destroyed. It’s a parking lot. Meanwhile, former Muwekma Chairwoman Rosemary Cambra helped save an actual Ohlone cemetery from destruction during the construction of the 680 freeway in the 1960s. That cemetery was later returned in 1971 to Andrew Galvan via the Ohlone Indian Tribe Inc., through a historic and unprecedented decision by the Catholic Church. “It’s the only piece of Californian mission property returned by the Catholic Church to a group of Indians, that I’m aware of,” said Galvan, curator of Mission Dolores in San Francisco.

    That wasn’t an isolated act. In 1967, Phil Galvan [“Mr. Ohlone”] successfully advocated for the naming of Ohlone College in Fremont–ensuring that a major institution would carry the name of his people and their land. And in 1985, Rosemary Cambra again took direct action–striking an archaeologist with a shovel to stop the desecration of her ancestors’ graves by developers attempting to build a hotel in downtown San José.

    These are real, measurable accomplishments–land protected, history recognized, sovereignty advanced–achieved not through branding or ceremony, but through resistance, strategy, and leadership.

    Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
    Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
    Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
    Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
    Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
    Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area

    In 2024, Muwekma embarked on the Trail of Truth, a 90-day cross-country journey from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to demand federal recognition and justice for unrecognized tribes. Along the way, they were joined by members of over 30 other tribes, fostering national intertribal relations. Upon arrival in D.C., they faced violent responses from law enforcement, including arrests and physical confrontations, as they attempted to bring their message to the nation’s leaders. Despite these challenges, Muwekma’s commitment to sovereignty and recognition remained unwavering.

    Meanwhile, Corrina Gould–while formerly associated with service delivery at the American Indian Child Resource Center–has used her platform through Indigenous People Organized for Change and especially through Sogorea Te Land Trust to build what is, at its core, a personal fundraising machine, not a tribal government. And she built it at the expense of real Muwekma–and in the Chochenyo context, Muwekma means “the people” [“la gente“.] She has rebranded the people as herself, and turned their collective legacy into her private gain.

    Her base of support is not grounded in local tribal governance. It comes largely from non-Native institutions, funders, and Native individuals with no ancestral ties to this land. Meanwhile, the real Ohlone Tribe is pushed aside in favor of symbolic leadership that offers visibility, but not accountability.

    Once faced with the facts, I had to admit that I was wrong. I had been led by a compelling story–but the truth was stronger. So I did what solidarity demands: I apologized, publicly withdrew my support for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, and committed to telling the truth.

    Because protecting Indigenous sovereignty sometimes means telling hard truths–and refusing to participate in feel-good illusions.

    6. The Harm Is Real (And Measurable)

    This isn’t just a difference in opinion. It isn’t a clash of personalities. And it certainly isn’t a harmless misunderstanding.

    When institutions platform Corrina Gould as a tribal leader, or treat the Confederated Villages of Lisjan as a legitimate tribal government, they are doing more than making a mistake–they are actively undermining the sovereignty of the real Ohlone Tribe. They are diverting resources, land, funding, and political capital away from Muwekma, and into the hands of a private organization with no legal standing, no elections, and no tribal citizenry.

    This harm isn’t abstract. It’s measurable.

    • Millions of dollars in philanthropic and public funding intended for Indigenous land return and cultural revitalization have gone to a nonprofit corporation with no recognized tribal status.
    • Sacred land–like the site of the West Berkeley Shellmound–has been transferred to Sogorea Te Land Trust, a non-tribal organization, under the false pretense that it represents “the Ohlone people.”
    • Shuumi Land Tax–individuals and institutions are encouraged to believe they are contributing directly to “the Ohlone people,” yet the money flows to Sogorea Te Land Trust rather than to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, which further entrenches a fictional framework and diverts resources away from the only tribal government tied to this land.
    • Public institutions, including cities and universities, have entered into consultation relationships with Gould and her affiliates, bypassing Muwekma entirely–despite Muwekma’s documented federal recognition and direct ancestral connection to the land in question.
    • Land acknowledgments, educational materials, and grant applications are being written and approved using a fictional framework, misleading the public and distorting the historical record.
    • Nonprofits and state agencies increasingly treat Sogorea Te Land Trust as the default Ohlone contact, creating a monopoly of voice that drowns out the actual tribe’s legal claims and cultural continuity.

    These are not harmless errors. They are a form of structural erasure–the exact kind that has plagued Native nations for generations. When land meant for Indigenous people is given to a nonprofit posing as a tribe, that is not reparation. That is dispossession in progressive packaging.

    This is particularly dangerous because the harm is disguised as justice. The very people who claim to be “decolonizing” are recoding colonization into a new language of rematriation, visibility, and inclusion–but behind the optics, the effect is the same: the real tribe is left out. The real tribe is defunded. The real tribe is made invisible.

    And let’s be clear: the people being erased are not theoretical. Muwekma has over 600 enrolled members. They are the living successors of the Verona Band. They have filed lawsuits, preserved records, won recognition, buried their dead, held their ceremonies, and never left their land.

    But when outsiders accept Gould’s narrative at face value–when they hand over land and money without due diligence–they don’t just cause confusion. They help erase those 600+ people from the public record and from the future of their own homeland.

    This harm is worsened by the fact that many of Gould’s supporters are not Ohlone, not from this territory, and in many cases, not even Native. Her occupation of Sogorea Te (Glen Cove Park in Vallejo) was carried out over the objections of local Wintu and Patwin tribal leaders, who viewed her presence as invasive and inappropriate–and who were already in the middle of negotiations with the city. Once again, her support came not from the tribes whose land she claimed to defend, but from outsiders–many of whom lacked the cultural or historical context to recognize the damage being done.

    This isn’t pan-Indigenous solidarity. This is outsider-enabled erasure masquerading as justice.

    And if you’ve ever promoted Corrina Gould as a tribal leader…
    If you’ve ever funded Sogorea Te Land Trust believing it was an Ohlone-run tribal entity…
    If you’ve ever written a land acknowledgment, curriculum, or policy that names CVL without verifying its legitimacy…

    Then you’ve been part of this harm.

    You didn’t just uplift the wrong narrative.
    You helped erase a federally documented tribe.
    You helped redirect land, funding, and power away from 600 living descendants of the Verona Band–and handed it to a nonprofit that exists because Muwekma gave one woman access to her genealogy.

    This isn’t theoretical. This is real.
    Real people. Real land. Real erasure.

    You didn’t decolonize anything.
    You just changed the branding.

    7. This Is Muwekma Land

    Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.

    Let’s be clear: this is the unceded ancestral homeland of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.

    The East Bay–including the very places where Corrina Gould operates, where cities write “rematriation” into land agreements, and where nonprofit funders congratulate themselves on “land return”–sits squarely within the ethnohistoric territory of the Chochenyo- and Thámien-speaking Ohlone tribal groups and intermarried Muwekma Ohlone and Bay Miwok ancestors. These were not abstract “villages.” They were governed communities with kinship ties, linguistic identity, and ceremonial responsibilities. Their descendants are now enrolled in the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.

    These people were forced into Misión San José de Guadalupe, Misión Santa Clara de Thámien, and Misión San Francisco de Asís. Their names and records exist in the mission rolls, in the ethnographic interviews, in the early court filings, and in the federal Indian rolls. Their presence on this land was never erased–only ignored.

    Muwekma didn’t vanish. Muwekma was excluded–deliberately and illegally. And they never stopped fighting to be seen.

    They are not a nonprofit. They are not a brand.
    They are not “one of many Ohlone groups.”
    They are the documented, federally acknowledged, and unlawfully derecognized successors of the Verona Band of Alameda County–and the only Ohlone tribal government with a continuous ancestral, cultural, and political presence in this region.

    They are the tribe that:

    • Has maintained ceremonial stewardship of sacred sites and burials.
    • Has documented every ancestral line with forensic-level precision.
    • Has filed for federal restoration and fought institutional exclusion for over a century.
    • Has survived the missions, the ranchos, the Gold Rush, the boarding schools, and the bureaucracies–and is still here.

    To pretend that this land is “returned” by handing it to a nonprofit corporation with no governing authority, no intertribal legitimacy, and no community accountability is not just inaccurate–it is a continuation of colonization.

    It is the institutional funding and support of settler colonial violence–the same erasure, dispossession, and genocide that removed tribes from their land in the first place, now rebranded as “rematriation” for white comfort.

    The land hasn’t been returned until it’s returned to the people it was taken from.

    This is not “Lisjan territory.”
    This is not “rematriated space.”
    This is Muwekma land.

    8. To Stand With Ohlone People Is to Stand With Muwekma

    By now, the facts are clear:

    • The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area is the only tribal government with documented continuity, legal standing, and ancestral responsibility for this land.
    • Their aboriginal homeland includes what is now known as San Francisco, San Mateo, most of Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties, as well as portions of Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano, and San Joaquin Counties.
    • The present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe consists of the descendants of the Indigenous people who were forced into Misión San José de Guadalupe, Santa Clara de Thámien, and San Francisco de Asís.
    • Cities like Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, Fremont, Hayward, Niles, and Pleasanton sit squarely within this territory.

    Still, some people will ask, “Why are you criticizing other Indigenous-led groups?”

    Here’s the answer:

    “Representation isn’t just about who shows up — it’s about how they show up.
    When groups claim Indigenous identity without tribal recognition, without elections, and without consulting other Native peoples, it’s not real representation.
    Holding people accountable protects Indigenous identity — it doesn’t attack it.”

    Others will say, “Aren’t you worried this undermines solidarity?”

    Not if you understand what real solidarity is:

    “Solidarity built on misinformation is a weak foundation.
    Real solidarity requires honesty — even when it’s uncomfortable.
    Protecting Indigenous sovereignty sometimes means telling hard truths, not participating in feel-good illusions.”

    And if you’re asking, “Well, what should I do instead?”

    Start here:
    “Support federally recognized and state-recognized tribes, or groups with real historic documentation and transparent leadership.
    Always ask: Who benefits? Who was consulted? Where is the money going?
    Good intentions matter — but real relationships and accountability matter more.”

    If you are an educator, funder, or ally who needs structured help doing this work without repeating these harms, I also teach an online series called Nations vs Nonprofits: How Well-Meaning Allies Can Tell the Difference. It walks through due diligence, red flags, and concrete steps for shifting support toward real Tribal Nations instead of corporate nonprofits posing as them. You can RSVP for the next session here.

    Let’s stay focused on the facts.
    It’s not about personal feelings — it’s about who has the rightful voice, and who’s building legitimacy at the expense of Indigenous communities.

    If you’ve platformed Corrina Gould or the Confederated Villages of Lisjan without doing your homework, then yes–you’ve been misled. Now that you know Sogorea Te Land Trust is not an Ohlone tribe or organization, it’s on you to stop giving them money and land. Because at this point, you’re not helping–you’re enabling the lie. You’re disrespecting the real Ohlone Tribe and their 600+ enrolled members, and you’re disrespecting their ancestors’ living legacy.

    Non-Native people created this problem, and then doubled down and made it worse. So it’s on them to fix it–by demanding accountability. Find out where your money is going. Ask who’s being left out. Demand that Sogorea Te Land Trust include the rightful Ohlone tribe of the East Bay: the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.

    If non-Native people are really about all this land defender and water protector, rematriation, land back rhetoric they love to post about–
    Then they’ll fight just as hard for a real tribe
    As they fight for a fucking parking lot.

    “Indigenous sovereignty isn’t a brand.
    It’s a responsibility to the ancestors and a duty to future generations.
    I’m here to protect that — without apology.”

    Sources

    Primary Sources from Muwekma Ohlone Tribe

    Official Statement

    • Public Statement on Corina Gould, the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, and Sogorea Te Land Trust
      Received directly from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area (May 1, 2025)

    News & Archival Sources

    Academic Reports & Federal Records

    • Ohlone/Costanoan Indians of the San Francisco Peninsula and Their Neighbors, Yesterday and Today (2009)
      Randall Milliken, Laurence H. Shoup, Beverly R. Ortiz – for the National Park Service
      PDF Link
    • A Time of Little Choice: The Disintegration of Tribal Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area 1769–1810 (1995)
      Randall Milliken – Ballena Press Anthropological Papers No. 43
      Publisher Link
    • J.P. Harrington Chochenyo Field Notes and Vocabulary (1921)
      Smithsonian Institution – National Anthropological Archives, Collection of John Peabody Harrington
    • Ancient and Modern Genomics of the Ohlone Indigenous Population of California (2022)
      Severson, Ramstetter, Kennett, et al. – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
      PDF Link

    Alameda Native History Project Articles

  • Building the Acorn Leaching Machine

    An update from the ACORNS! Project Arc

    Thank you for all of your support. For coming to our events, playing with the maps on our website, volunteering for the Acorn Harvest, and for checking out our printed maps and other merch.

    I am writing to you now because I want you to know that your support is appreciated, and that it has had an impact on our mission, to educate the community about local Native history through maps, advocacy, and experiential learning opportunities. Your support is helping to reopen Indigenous foodways, a tangible benefit made possible by your participation and generosity.

    The journey over the past year has been exciting, humbling, and rewarding. We have made so much progress! And one of the most exciting places we’ve made progress is in the way we leach acorns at scale.

    Meeting the Challenge

    We faced the existential challenges presented by pollution, climate change, loss of native wildlands and animals, and a lack of fresh, free flowing water. If the traditional way of leaching acorns is using a basket in a river or stream: how can we do that when all of our water has been polluted, and diverted into culverts? The answer was to build our own river.

    Proof of Concept

    The first Acorn Leaching Machine was cobbled together with plastic never-used trash cans fitted with PVC piping. It connected a DIY water filtration system with hand packed filter cartridges, an elaborate acorn tray setup, and a well pump. I hand-sewed the muslin acorn sacks. The first machine ran too hot, and wasn’t terribly food safe. But it was a proof of concept; a successful first generation.

    From Prototype to Food-Safe Design

    The second machine, the most current design, features some very significant upgrades.

    • Stainless steel, weld-less design
    • Food grade, with as little plastic as possible
    • Completely new cooling system
    • Upgraded to full-scale, food-safe, whole-house filtration system (multi-stage)
    • Housed on a mobile platform for presentations at schools and libraries

    A Tangible Tribal Benefit

    When complete, the flour produced by this system will go on offer to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area (and to the wider Indigenous community) as a tangible tribal benefit to the first people of this place. For free. It will feed ceremonies, meals, and gatherings, and it will travel to classrooms, libraries, and community spaces as a mobile teaching tool. Together, we are restoring a foodway that has not existed in over three centuries, and showing that food is medicine; traditional food is medicine.

    Now, we are poised to leach acorns at scale. To produce consistent, safe, traditional food. Without compromise. Your impact will be more tangible than you could ever imagine.

    The Final Push

    Every contribution, every hour volunteered, and every conversation shared has led to this moment. Reopening Indigenous foodways isn’t symbolic–it’s real work with tangible results. The Acorn Leaching Machine is more than equipment; it is a living example of innovation and restoration working together. It shows what can happen when we adapt ancestral knowledge to meet the challenges created by colonization and environmental change.

    We’ve already come this far with community effort, a partial grant from the Alameda Public Art Commission, and your continued support. Now, we’re preparing to complete the machine, to upgrade the last of its fittings and mount it securely to the moving platform that will carry it into classrooms, libraries, and public spaces across the region.

    This is the final push. Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to completion.

    Make Your Impact Visible

    For gifts of $75 or more, your name will be etched directly onto the stainless steel Acorn Leaching Machine, a visible acknowledgment of the community who helped make this restoration possible. Each name will stand for someone who chose to take action and help reopen Indigenous foodways in a tangible way.

    Your continued support is helping to decolonize our diet, rebuild the relationship between people and the land, and remind our communities that food is medicine, and traditional food is medicine. This is what it means to turn gratitude into action.

    With gratitude,

    Gabriel Duncan
    Founder, Alameda Native History Project

    Donate Now

  • Sogorea Te Land Trust Controversy

    An Investigative Report by the Alameda Native History Project

    Preserving Accurate Ohlone History and Culture

    The Alameda Native History Project is dedicated to preserving the accurate history and culture of the Ohlone people. As part of this effort, we have conducted research on Sogorea Te Land Trust, a non-profit organization [501(c)(3)], and its claims of representing the Ohlone people.

    Why We Investigated

    We followed this story because it was newsworthy and of significant public interest. Moreover, we believe that people have the right to know where their money is going, particularly when it comes to donations intended to support Native American communities–in this case: Ohlone people, the First Alamedans.

    Concerns and Findings

    Our research has raised several concerns about Sogorea Te Land Trust’s claims and actions:

    Furthermore, we have found that donations to Sogorea Te Land Trust, known as “Shuumi”, do not benefit the Ohlone people.

    Our Efforts to Seek Clarification

    Over the past three years, the Alameda Native History Project has reached out to Sogorea Te Land Trust multiple times seeking clarification on these issues, but they have not provided any substantive responses.

    Call to Action

    We encourage everyone to seek out multiple sources and consult with Ohlone elders and experts before supporting or promoting initiatives related to Ohlone history and culture. Specifically, we recommend reaching out to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area and other Ohlone leaders who may have valuable insights and perspectives on the issues raised in this report. By engaging in open and respectful dialogue, we can work together to ensure the accurate representation and well-being of the Ohlone people.

  • What about the East Bay Ohlone of Oakland, Emeryville, Alameda?

    Someone recently responded to the article “Who are the Lisjan Ohlone? What does Chochenyo mean?” with some questions of their own.

    What about the East Bay Ohlone of Oakland, Emeryville, Alameda? [The] Muwekma are not the only Lisjan in the area.

    B. Richman

    I publicly responded:

    [B.] Richman this article seeks to educate people like you about Ohlone people in the east bay. So you stop calling them “chochenyo ohlone”, “Lisjan Ohlone”, and other misnomers.

    Alameda Native History Project

    But, I wanted to address the confusion and misinformation about Indigenous People, being perpetuated by non-indigenous people.

    So I sent this message directly to that person, which I wanted to elaborate on, and share with you. What follows is based on that message, illustrated with pictures and relevant links.

    “What about the East Bay Ohlone of Oakland, Emeryville, Alameda? [The] Muwekma are not the only Lisjan in the area.”

    Questions like this are problematic because they show how much the person asking really doesn’t know about the indigenous history of their area.

    [Everyone is aware of the hype behind the Sogorea Te Land Trust, a corporation fronted by Corrina Gould, an indigenous woman who claims to be a chairwoman of an Ohlone Tribe–a corporation called the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, Incorporated. A corporation formed by Corrina Gould, and her daughters; which is less than two years old.]

    Take a look at Corrina Gould and ask yourself why the pictures of her and her “tribe” only ever show about five people.

    Oakland, CA
    Alameda, CA
    Albany, CA

    Seriously… ask yourself why the members of the other Confederated Villages never appear in the pictures.

    If you take a step back, you’ll realize that Corrina Gould’s support is not from Ohlone people.

    It’s from non-indigenous people, and native people who aren’t even Ohlone.

    The truth is: Corrina Gould appointed herself as a “chairwoman”; she doesn’t represent Ohlone people beyond herself and her immediately family.

    The Muwekma Tribe has hundreds of members.

    Coyote Hills Regional Park
    Muwekma Group Picture 001
    Muwekma Group Picture 003
    Why Federal Recognition is Important
    Muwekma Tabling at Event

    Muwekma are actually the people who called themselves “Lisjanes” (Lisjanikma), who were called the Verona Band of Alameda County. The Muwekma Tribe is actually composed of the descendants of those who survived the missions, attempted genocide and cultural erasure.

    More pictures of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area can be found on their website: Muwekma.org

    The present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is comprised of all of the known surviving American Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the Missions Dolores, Santa Clara, and San Jose; and who were also members of the historic Federally Recognized Verona Band of Alameda County.

    Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area

    If you take away anything from this, it should be that:

    You need to know the difference between Tribe, and a corporation run by a convicted fraud whose main activities consist of fundraising for her own personal benefit, and that of her immediate family.

    In truth, Shuumi does not help Ohlone people.

    It’s a distraction created by someone who’s done this kind of stuff before.

    Take a second to stand back and see that Corrina Gould’s narrative is a washed down version of the real history of Muwekma.

    Corrina Gould is a recognized descendant of the Muwekma Tribe; and she betrayed her own tribe by weaponizing their own language and history against them.

    I thought her story was compelling too, until I did the research, and followed the facts.

    Once I learned to truth, I had to publicly withdraw my support. It was kind of embarrassing, and a mistake to support a group without doing my research first.

    But it’s a mistake I want you to avoid, too.

    This isn’t some nebulous grey zone. There are peer-reviewed articles and genetic studies establishing these facts. All you need to do is look at Muwekma’s petition to the BIA to learn way more than you ever needed to know about this subject.

    You should do your own research, and educate others.

    This confusion and misinformation is detrimental to the sovereignty of real, bona fide tribes.

    The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area is trying regain their Federal Recognition, and restore their homeland. Find out how you can help Ohlone people (for real) by going to Muwekma.org

    You can also learn more Ohlone History, and see more pictures of the Muwekma Tribe, as well as read a selection of academic articles, interviews, and watch Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh at TEDXBerkeley.

  • More Alternatives to Shuumi

    Here at the Alameda Native History Project, we value organizations and movements which focus on measurable, outcome-based strategies and planning. We value transparency, accountability, and regular reporting on the progress toward those goals.

    And while organizations associated with Corrina Gould talk a good game: it would behoove you to take notice of the fact that none of the organizations associated with Gould have achieved any of the goals they purport to strive for.

    Here’s a brief breakdown of some organizations Gould is associated with:

    • Indian People Organizing for Change: Gould claims to be a co-founder of this now defunct organization; this is where she began the Shellmound Walk. Though it’s important to note that we haven’t been able to find any newspaper articles where Corrina Gould is mentioned, or pictured, with any other founders of IPOC. In fact, it looks like Gould’s involvement has been using IPOC as a front for her own fundraising efforts. For what, though?
    • American Indian Child Resource Center: Corrina Gould was an employee of this organization as a Title 7 Resource Coordinator during the time she herself was convicted of defrauding Alameda County (which she confessed to); was sentenced to 2 years in jail; and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5,275. While the AIRCRC is a legitimate organization, one can’t help but ask why the Center continues to associate itself with Gould. [Or why any of these organizations think it’s appropriate to put a fraud in charge of fundraising, or even run for “tribal office”.]
    • Sogorea Te Land Trust: Unaccredited land trust. Named after Glen Cove, in Vallejo, which is actually Wintu and Patwin land; the place where Corrina Gould hijacked efforts to preserve and protect sacred sites. Gould claimed that tribes were not consulted regarding the planning and development of Glen Cove Park, but she was wrong. Tribal Consultation was occurring behind the scenes the whole time Corrina Gould was publicly occupying another tribe’s land.

      Gould’s actions resulted in costing the tribes tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and forced the tribe to pay for a cultural easement–which would have been free, if Gould hadn’t interfered. The original goal of the Land Trust was to purchase/receive native land to put back into native hands. However, their entire body of work has only focused on re-appropriating urban gardens, and landscaping, thus far. And also to serve as Corrina Gould’s personal piggy bank.
    • Confederated Villages of the Lisjan, INC.: Formerly created by Corrina Gould to give the appearance of the legitimacy needed for Cities and Developers to treat her as a Tribal Consultant; and to file as an intervenor in court cases to “stop desecration” in places like West Berkeley and Glen Cove. This corporation was subsequently suspended by the Franchise Tax Board; and then taken over by Gabriel Duncan, to prove a point that corporations are not tribal governments. (The exercise of sovereign powers is not a charitable purpose, how can a non-Ohlone person be a tribal chair of an Ohlone government? They can’t; the idea that a corporation can be a tribal government is ridiculous.)
    • Confederated Villages of the Lisjan “Nation“, INC.: Corrina Gould registered another corporation with a similar name to continue her charade as an elected tribal chairwoman. It’s not hard to say that when your board of directors are your immediate family. But Gould isn’t a Tribal Chairwoman, she’s the Chair of the Board of a corporation masquerading as a tribal government.

      The real unfortunate part of this is that Gould continues to present herself as speaking for a larger population of Ohlone People than she has the right to, in the same way King Henry spoke for his subjects in countries across the world. (Except King Henry actually had “subjects”. And, even if you count Gould’s supporters, they’re not Ohlone People.) In fact, it looks like Corrina Gould wants to be the only person consulted, to the point of excluding bona fide tribes, as was the case in both Glen Cove, and Sequoia Point.

      Furthermore, Lisjan is the place name for Pleasanton–not East Oakland. And the real “confederation” of villages is the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.

      [The present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is comprised of all of the known surviving American Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the Missions Dolores, Santa Clara, and San Jose…]

    Lost in the fray is the simple fact that Corrina Gould’s corporation has only been around for about 5 years; whereas the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area has been around since time immemorial. Muwekma has over 600 enrolled tribal members. Muwekma’s lineage is extremely well-documented; and their occupation of the San Francisco Bay Area can be traced back to archeological sites representing at least 7,000 years of ancestral tribal history.

    [Yes, I’m also tired of repeating myself.]

    So let’s say you don’t want to give money to an organization fronted by a convicted fraud, which isn’t doing the work it claims to be dedicated to. What are some organizations where your investment in indigenous people, their rights, and their lives, would make the most difference?

    1. Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation [link]
      The actual Ohlone Land Trust and Preservation Foundation working to preserve the homelands of a tribe which was formerly known and recognized as the Verona Band of Indians, and is known today as the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. By supporting this foundation, you are supporting the rematriation of the land, re-awakening of indigenous language, culture, and helping to foster the honor and respect required to make space for healing, and rejuvenation of the people who survived the Missionization of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the American policies of genocide and erasure in California.

      The Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation‘s Mission is to:
      • Heal mak Muwékma (“our People”) by connecting with and caring for our ancestral lands,
      • Protect and hinnimpisin ’oyyo ’innu heeme (“restore culture, and natural resources”),
      • Gain and ’utas warep — steward the land-base where we have always been,
      • Awaken cultural practices on the land through tribal gatherings and creating ceremonial spaces,
      • Ensure the continued ’iškaanesin mak Muwékma (“resilience of our People”)
    2. Friendship House of San Francisco [link]
      This organization provides the bulk of services to Native People who are either living off the reservation in urban areas, or have been sent to the friendship house to receive treatment and healing services by tribes far and wide. The Friendship House of San Francisco holds a special place in my heart, because I have seen the people who have benefited from their programs, and ongoing mercy and care for all Native People in the Urban Reservation. Investing in the Friendship House of San Francisco is probably one of the best ways to support indigenous people, not only in the Bay Area, but all over this continent.
    3. Intertribal Friendship House of Oakland [link]
      From the Intertribal Friendship Oakland website:
      “Intertribal Friendship House (IFH), located in Oakland, CA was established in 1955 as one of the first urban American Indian community centers in the nation. It was founded by the American Friends Service Committee to serve the needs of American Indian people relocated from reservations to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area American Indian community is multi-tribal, made of Native people and their descendants—those who originate here and those who have come to the Bay region from all over the United States and from other parts of this hemisphere.

      “For urban Native people IFH has served as the Urban Reservation and Homeland. In many cases it is one of the few places that keeps them connected to their culture and traditions through pow wow dance, drumming, beading classes, and the many social gatherings, cultural events, and ceremonies that are held there. Intertribal Friendship House is more than an organization. It is the heart of a vibrant tribal community.”

      As a youth, I visited the Intertribal Friendship House of Oakland for a lot of events, powwows and fellowship. IFH Oakland holds a special place in my heart as being my local urban Native cultural center for so long.
    Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation
    Friendship House SF
    Intertribal Friendship House Oakland
    If you want to invest in indigenous people, their rights, and THEIR lives; please consider investing in one, or all three, of the organizations listed above.

  • Coyote Hills Translates All 35 Trail Markers to Chochenyo: Honoring the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area

    Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Members unveiling first Trail Marker in their language, Čočeño (Chochencyo), at Coyote Hills Regional Park (aka Máyyan Šáatošikma)

    On Sunday, November 27, 2022, we gathered at Máyyan Šáatošikma (aka Coyote Hills Regional Park, in Fremont) to witness the unveiling of the first of 35 trail markers, redesigned, and translated into Čočeño (Chochenyo).

    Čočeño is the official language of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, once recognized as the Verona Band of Indians, and comprised of all of the known surviving American Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the Missions Dolores, Santa Clara, and San Jose.

    It was through the work of J.P. Harrington, and Ohlone Ancestor Jose Guzman, that the Čočeño language was preserved, and survived centuries of attempted erasure.

    The renaming of these 35 trail markers–which account for all of the trail markers in the Coyote Hills Regional Park–are the culmination of decades of (continuing) partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District.

    The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area is a bonafide tribe, with more than 600 enrolled members. Muwekma holds elections for their leaders, who are now Charlene Nijmeh (Chairwoman), Monica Arellano (Vice Chairwoman). Muwekma has a strong Tribal Council, made of elders and enrolled members; without whom the re-awakening of the Čočeño language, and traditions, such as almost-forgotten dances, would not be possible.

    As supporters of Tribal Sovereignty, of Ohlone People’s struggle for recognition, for Land Back, and those who wish to Decolonize, and Rematriate The Land: Remember that Muwekma is a bonafide tribe–and not a corporation, like the Confederated Villages of the Lisjan “Nation”, INC.; or the Sogorea Te Land Trust.

    The important distinction between these groups is that Muwekma has been here since time immemorial. That Muwekma can trace its lineage in the San Francisco Bay Area back to at least 7,000 years ago. That Muwekma accounts for hundreds of Ohlone People. That Muwekma holds regular elections, and–most importantly–Muwekma can back all their claims with extensive documentation, including pictures going back to at least the 1930’s.

    Picture of Jose Guzman in Niles, California; taken 1934. Unknown Photographer.
    Resources for Supporting the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area:

    Sign the “Restore the Homeland” Letter

    Sign the “Restore Muwekma” Letter

    There are more ways to support Muwekma, at http://muwekma.org

  • Open Letter to City Hall: Reach out to other affected tribes before granting exclusive rights to their land

    We sent out numerous letters to City of Oakland Officials, today. [Here’s the contact list we used.] This is what the letter said:

    Alameda Native History Project
    2201 Shoreline Drive #6334
    Alameda, California 94501
    (510) 747-8423
    info@alamedanativehistoryproject.com

    October 31, 2022

    Oakland City Council
    Oakland City Hall
    1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
    Oakland, CA 94612

    -VIA EMAIL-

    Re: Proposed Cultural Conservation Easement at Joaquin Miller Park (Agenda Item #10 22-0849)

    Dear City Council Members, and Staff,

    I am writing to ask you to include all Ohlone people in the planning and consultation for the proposed cultural easement at Sequoia Point, in Joaquin Miller Park. Currently, there are only plans recognizing one Ohlone tribal group, the Confederated Villages of the Lisjan Nation, INC.

    However, if Sequoia Point is to be treated as a Tribal Cultural Resource, then Tribal Consultation should take place with all of the Ohlone tribal groups. I know that you are familiar with Tribal Notification Requirements; so it’s especially dismaying that Tribal Consultation was not solicited from any or all of the groups in the Native American Heritage Commission’s Tribal Consultation Lists.

    These groups include, but are not limited to:

    1. Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of Mission San Juan Bautista
    2. Confederated Villages of the Lisjan
    3. Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe
    4. Indian Canyon Mustun Band of Costanoan
    5. Muwekma Ohlone Indian Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
    6. Northern Valley Yokuts Tribe
    7. The Ohlone Indian Tribe

    Granting exclusive rights to use, and access, a Tribal Cultural Resource, as an easement in perpetuity, without consulting with other real parties in interest ( i.e., these other tribal groups) is a serious mistake that does not have to be made.

    Please reach out to other affected tribes before granting exclusive rights to their land.

    Sincerely,

    Gabriel Duncan

    Alameda Native History Project
    2201 Shoreline Drive #6334
    Alameda, California 94501
    (510) 747-8423
    info@alamedanativehistoryproject.com

    OCTOBER-31-2022-LETTER-TO-OAKLAND-CITY-COUNCILDownload

  • Indigenous-Led Research Project Creates Restoration of Historical Landmarks (Shellmounds) in the San Francisco Bay Area

    The Alameda Native History Project project presents a map of the three Alameda Shellmounds, as seen by N.C. Nelson in 1907, restored and presented in the present-day landscape.

    For the first time ever, the Shellmounds of Alameda are being visualized, and presented as a physical, tangible land feature.

    The purpose of this map is to:

    1. Acknowledge that Alameda was a place were local Ohlone communities came to bury their loved ones;
    2. Illustrate the large size and scale of shellmounds, in general;
    3. Visualize a theoretical landscape where the Alameda Shellmounds were preserved;
    4. Fill the gaps made by Alameda Museum’s lack of accurate or meaningful information about the First Alamedans: Ohlone People.
    Alameda Shellmounds Webmodel

    https://nativehistoryproject.org/geo/alameda-shellmounds-webmodel/

    These restored historical land features, and this 3D map represent a milestone in the Alameda Native History Project’s research.

    But this is just a small piece of a larger story developing at the Alameda Native History Project. There’s more.

    Stay tuned.

  • Alternatives to Paying Shuumi (Sogorea Te’s “Land Tax”)

    Acknowledging our occupation of Native Land; and the way we benefit from Mission Enslavement of Native Americans, the enslavement of people we know as African-American, and the California Genocide is not this easy.

    The Sins of Colonialism can not be washed away with more blood money.

    Direct investment in the community is what’s needed, instead.

    Why this sudden change of heart?

    (more…)