Alameda Native History Project

Tag: Shuumi

  • Honor the OG Ohlone of the San Francisco Bay Area: Muwekma Ohlone

    Reposted from the Alameda Native History Project Instagram account:

    The City of Alameda, Alameda Museum, and City of Albany all need to know that hyping Corrina Gould so much is really detrimental to the struggles of the actual Ohlone tribe of this area.

    As much as you hate to hear me continue to say this, I’m going to be even more clear: The Confederated Villages of the Lisjan “NATION”, INC. is not a tribal government.

    The true tribal government of this place is the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.

    CVL is not a confederated group of tribes because there is no other tribal government to confederate with that isn’t already fully incorporated into the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco…

    CVL was originally created as a mutual benefit corporation to benefit only one family, those related to Corrina Gould by birth or by marriage.

    And, CVL was only created to bolster the illusion that Corrina Gould was a real tribal chairperson; even though her organization held no votes, and isn’t diverse enough to represent Ohlone people as a political group beyond Gould’s immediate family.

    As much as you don’t want to listen; don’t want to look; it is necessary to break the black out on this subject.

    Because your willful ignorance is what’s actually causing damage. Not my insistence on reiterating the facts of the matter.

    I’m not a misogynist like Gould would have you believe. When I say #rematriatetheland, this is what I mean: honor the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area by recognizing their Sovereignty as a Tribal Nation of thousands…

    By recognizing the OG Ohlone. The original, indigenous, woman-led resistance.

    By not recognizing people like Charlene Nijmeh, Monica Arellano, and Dolores Marine Galvan, you’re only contributing to the indigenous erasure. And disrespecting tf out of the people you should be taking pains to build relationships with.

    The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area doesn’t need your #shuumi. They need their Federal Recognition Restored.

    That’s how Ohlone People get their land banks, land base, and land back.

    Nothing short of Federal Recognition will do this.

    Call congress.

    Take a look at Muwekma.org.

  • What Does “Save Shellmounds, Not Parking Lots” Even Mean?

    It’s not just a salty catch-phrase. It’s a plea for reason, and a plan to move forward in realizing the protection and return of sacred Native American sites in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    The only way to protect sacred sites, like Shellmounds, and Petroglyphs, is by actively protecting them.

    This means:

    • Recognizing the difference between corporations who claim to be tribal governments, and actual Tribal Governments.
    • Empowering Tribal Law Enforcement with the Authority to Arrest and Prosecute Non-Indians Within Their Sovereign Borders
    • Adding Sacred Sites not protected by Tribal Law Enforcement to the “Beat” of the Law Enforcement branches of the Bureau of Land Management, USDA Dept. of Forestry, Cal. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, etc.
    • Utilizing modern surveillance technology to serve as witness to crimes like vandalism, theft, and dumping.

    By concealing these heritage sites, we begin to make them taboo. They become places we don’t go to anymore. Places that we could lose our connection to, ironically, because we wanted to protect them.

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  • Milliken 2009, “A Time of Little Choice”, Has Just Been Liberated

    Anthropology, Archaeology, and Ethnology have always been competitive fields. In the East Bay, Native American Graves Consulting is a booming, and exclusive business.

    And, the documented existence of the Ohlone people, who have occupied the East Bay continuously, for thousands of years, hinges upon the information locked away behind paygates; only being referenced by Developers, and City Attorneys.

    The exclusivity of this information has been exploited for money. And used to bolster false claims of sovereignty.

    • Cover
    • Page 28
    • Page 180
    • Page 252
    • Page 279
    But, let me be clear:
    The only reason you have this information is because you robbed our ancestors’ graves.

    On a very basic level–without being reductive–these academic papers; all of the information; tangible and non-tangible things that have been developed, derived, or created from the desecration of our ancestors….

    All of that still belongs to us.

    ” A Time of Little Choice: The Disintegration of Tribal Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area 1769-1810″

    Randal Milliken, 2009

    Milliken 2009 A Time of Little ChoiceDownload

  • Corrina Gould Convicted of Defrauding Alameda County, in 1997, Ordered to Pay $5,275

    On April 17, 1997, Corrina Gould was convicted in Alameda County Criminal Court, for:

    willfully and knowingly, with the intent to deceive, by means of false statement or representation, or by failing to disclose a material fact, or by impersonation or other fraudulent device, obtained or retained [more than $950] aid under the provisions of this division for himself or herself or for a child not in fact entitled thereto.”

    California Welfare & Institutions Code Sec. 10980(C)2

    Gould was sentenced to jail time, and fined.

    There was also a civil judgment against Corrina Gould for the amount of $5,275 dollars, which was entered by her own confession:

    I hereby confess… [d]efendant fraudulently received public assistance benefits from Alameda County that [she] was not entitled to by submitting false written statements under penalty of perjury.”

    Corrina Gould, “Statement and Declaration for Confession of Judgment”, Alameda County Civil Case Number 1997002685

    It is unclear how long Gould spent in jail.

    The case file was destroyed pursuant to the law which governs case file retention. (Information about the offense, and Gould’s subsequent conviction is still available in the Alameda County Superior Court Criminal Index.)

    Alameda County Superior Court Criminal Records Search (SEP-21-2021) for “Corrina Gould”

    But the Welfare & Institutions Code statute Corrina was sentenced by enumerates terms of imprisonment as 16 months, 2 years, and 3 years, or “a fine of not more than $5,000,” or both. The Criminal Index indicated Corrina Gould’s sentence as “Sentence: 001 jail and fined.”

    Corrina Gould was also sentenced to 36 months of probation for defrauding Alameda County Social Services. The exact dollar amount Gould illegally obtained is unknown.

    At the time of Corrina Gould’s conviction for Welfare Fraud, she was working at the American Indian Family Healing Center, in Oakland, California. She would later work for the American Indian Child Resource Center, as a Title VII Coordinator. It’s unclear if either organization knew of Corrina Gould’s conviction for this type of fraud; or, whether or not Gould was involved in filing claims, and/or applying for benefits on behalf their clients.

    Today, Corrina Gould is the spokesperson for Sogorea Te Land Trust, and Confederated Villages of the Lisjan, INC. She was also a co-founder of Indian People Organizing for Change.

    Sources and Links:

    County of Alameda V. Corrina Gould

    Alameda County Superior Court, Civil Case #1997002685
    County of Alameda V Gould
    County of Alameda V Gould Judgment Pursuant to Confession
    County of Alameda V Corrina Gould #1997002685
    Corrina Gould Confession of Judgment
    Corrina Gould Signed Confession (SSN Redacted)
    Attorney Certification

    Use DomainWeb to view Alameda County Superior Court Documents online.

    Alameda County Superior Court

    re: Corrina Gould, Alameda County Criminal Case #403554

    Alameda County Courts website is at Https://alameda.courts.ca.gov

  • West Berkeley Shellmound (Oops)

    I guess the first thing I should say is that I know this looks like some kind of CIA/COINTELPRO hit job on a local Native American Leader. Before I tell you that’s not what I actually set out to do, let me answer some basic questions, and give you a background….

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