Hello Friends and Warriors,

We are hoping that you all can come and celebrate our 2nd reunion at Sogorea Te on Sunday, April 14th. This is the date, two years ago, when we decided to take a stand, started the sacred fire and occupied the land for 109 days for the preservation and protection of the ancestors. While we were protecting the ancestors, they did the same for us and we were able to transform ourselves and dream a community into existence.

Meet 1:00pm at Sogorea Te. This is a potluck. Please bring your own plates, cups, utensils and food to share. We would like to talk with one another, catch up and remember the fallen warriors.

Bring your clappers and hand drums, laughter and stories… See you all soon.

-Corrina Gould

On Saturday June 16th, GVRD and the City of Vallejo are
holding a grand opening of their newly desecrated park. GVRD’s flyer states that at the “Dedication Ceremony,” there will be speakers from government agencies and organizations that have “participated in the development of this unique park.”

We are asking all of our supporters to come out in force to remind them that we are still watching and that we do not agree with their plans to celebrate destruction and to use these sacred grounds as a recreational park. The Dedication Ceremony will take place between 11am and noon, but we will be arriving early at 10am. We are asking supporters the following:

• Everyone wear BLACK t-shirts
• All signage should say No Celebration for Desecration, no other messages please.
• Mexica Dancers will be with us, but we are also looking for others that would like to offer prayer/songs or spoken word.
• Please bring your own eating utensils, cups, bowls and water bottles and food to share.
• Please help us in packing out everything we pack in.
• We are looking for monetary donations. Please support us in assisting those traveling long distances by making a donation online or in cash on the day of.
• Meet at 10am. Look for security to direct you where we will be gathering.

We look forward to seeing many of our relatives and friends. Hope to see you there.

Dear Warriors, Supporters and Friends of Sogorea Te,

I want to begin by thanking each one of you for your support in protecting and preserving Sogorea Te (Glen Cove), a sacred site that has been in what is now Vallejo, CA for over 3500 years. During our occupation of the land from April through July of last year, many of you were instrumental in putting aside your lives, giving of yourselves unselfishly, and participating in creating a living community. This community allowed us all to not only protect a sacred site, but also to see what is possible for humans when they come together and rely on one another, centered around a basis of spirituality and belief in one another.

Each time someone walked onto that land and paid respects to the fire, it strengthened the community as a whole. The miracle was not in just protecting the site, but in protecting each other and allowing the space to include almost anyone who came with a good heart and good intentions. Over the months that we lived together, we endured weather hardships, boredom, laughter, tears, celebrations, and disappointments. We created bonds that will stay with us forever; sometimes with people we would have never imagined being in our lives before Sogorea Te.

We were truly blessed by the ancestors, because we took a stand and because we opened our hearts and allowed a healing to happen. No one and nothing can take away these gifts. Our lives have been transformed and we can never be the same, nor should we want to be. We were all a part of something more than history; we were a part of a miracle, a complete transformation. When that sacred fire that burned for 109 days finally went out in the physical sense, it continued to burn in each of us individually. When we come together, our shared experience rekindles those flames and reminds us that we are human beings with a purpose.

Over the last few months, people have posted alarming pictures on Facebook and have written things about the desecration of Sogorea Te, stirring up great concern amongst those who hold this sacred land close to our hearts. We, the Committee to Protect Sogorea Te, have tried to look into each issue as it has arisen and want to be transparent with all of the people who involved their time and lives in protecting the land. Some of the Committee kept watch over Sogorea Te during the early stages of GVRD’s park development project, while others, including myself, didn’t see what had happened to the land until October, when we were able to end the 2011 Peacewalk there.

Let us not mince words. The sight of what had been done to our beloved land was devastating. We knew when we parted ways and crossed that gate on July 31st that Sogorea Te would never look the same again. But what we saw upon returning was nothing short of getting kicked in the gut. It literally took my breath away.

We mourn what once was. We celebrated a victory in July, and yet, looking at the land now makes this victory taste bitter in my mouth. Out of all that GVRD wanted to do with the land, we only asked for three things: that they not build bathrooms, not include a 15-car parking lot, and not grade a hill that contains] burials/cremations. These are for the most part what we won.

They are not going to build a bathroom, the parking lot is only two handicap parking places and will be located adjacent to the sidewalk. We were aware that GVRD planned to take out the invasive species of plants and tear down the mansion and, yes, even put in trails. However, when I went there several weeks ago, what I saw was that the entire site had been molested. The creek is virtually exposed, all of the trees have been cut down, and, to our dismay, the grading has occurred.

In December, we were able to visit Sogorea Te and walk the site with tribal monitors and other tribal representatives. As I walked along the area where the hill once stood, I looked for anything that could stop them from continuing the destructive grading, but couldn’t find even a shell. The tribal representatives said that they did not find any cultural artifacts or remains and that the hill was only "fill". In fact, there were many cremations in the area, yet because the soil of the hill had been moved previously and 5ft of it has now been scraped off, finding remnants at this stage seems near-impossible.

It was frustrating that the tribal representatives didn’t have any answers. When was the project going to be finished? "I don’t know." Why did they take out native plants and still leave some of the invasive? "I don’t know." Will the tribe make a statement or have a public meeting to let people that supported the tribe in obtaining a cultural easement know what is happening to the land? "No. We don’t have to answer to anyone."

A tribal sovereign government is still a government. It is also a fact that this same tribal government allowed for the desecration of Sogorea Te in decades past and continues to make concessions to other developers, allowing desecration of other burial and sacred sites. Together we must decide what needs to be done to stop the on-going desecration of all of our sacred places.

The story of Sogorea Te is ours collectively. We each make up a part of the history that was a miracle. It is our voices that need to reach out to everyone. We stood up and lead a good fight. We protected a sacred site, and, at the same time, we protected ourselves and each other. We each brought to Sogorea Te our best and became better human beings because of this experience.

We all continue to mourn not just the loss of parts of the sacred site, but also the community we created and left behind. Human beings need to be needed, and for some, this sacred place gave us a place to belong, a place that we each had worth, and a place where prayers are answered. Our ancestors continue to bless us in so many ways.

I am eternally grateful to each person- elder, adult, youth and child. Grateful to the plants, animals, elements, and medicine that was shared. Grateful for all of the lessons learned and that I continue to learn from this experience. I am grateful to the Creator and the ancestors for allowing me to have such wonderful people cross my life path–and for the continued journey that they have in store for us, as we continue to be inspired by one another and look forward to that community that we all know is possible.

Corrina Gould, Chochenyo/Karkin Ohlone
On behalf of the Committee to Protect Sogorea Te

October 22 – November 6, 2011
Diablo Canyon to Sogorea Te/Glen Cove, Vallejo, California

Join a two-week interfaith peace walk from the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant near San Luis Obispo to the Bay Area. With the tragedy of Fukushima in our hearts, we will walk 15-18 miles a day looking into the safety of land and people along our route, the still-present danger of nuclear weapons, the poisonous nuclear fuel cycle and how to end the nuclear nightmare in California and worldwide.

The Diablo Canyon plant defiled a site sacred to the Chumash people, and native lands still bear the brunt of toxic mining and waste disposal that mark the nuclear industry. Accordingly, the walk ends at an indigenous sacred site of true power, consecrated by years of struggle to protect it from development.

We expect participation of Native elders and activists, Buddhist monks, Japanese people affected by Fukushima, and citizens who have worked for decades to expose nuclear danger and find alternatives to nuclear power. We will learn from each other and from communities along the way. Everyone is welcome to join for an hour, a day or a week. No alcohol, drugs, or weapons.

We need help with lodging, food, organizing local community events, modest expenses, media/communications, and shuttle-transport.

For updates, walk schedule and contact details:
http://CAnuclearwalk.com/

Sponsors: San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace; Indian People Organizing for Change (IPOC) organizers of the Shellmound Walks in the Bay Area and a successful 110 day vigil to protect the sacred site at Sogorea Te/Glen Cove; Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order

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Announcement: A final closing ceremony for the prayer vigil and
encampment at Sogorea Te will be held on Saturday, July 30th, starting at noon. During the ceremony, long-term participants and warriors will be honored and the sacred fire that has been continuously tended for over 100 days and nights will be allowed to burn out.

Bring chairs to sit in and food to share. We’ll be asking volunteers to take trash out with them as they leave. Also, on Sunday the 31st, we will work together to pack everything up and to thoroughly clean and restore the grounds. Extra hands will be very much appreciated.

On Monday the 25th, a representative of Yocha Dehe visited Sogorea Te and walked the grounds with Protect Glen Cove Committee members, who pointed out all the specific areas of cultural concern. He brought with him a letter from Marshall McKay, the Chairman of Yocha Dehe. A personal note from McKay accompanying the letter stated that “It is with heartfelt appreciation for your dedication to the preservation of the sacred burials and sites at Glen Cove that I send this message…Please know that while I cannot attend the closing ceremony, I will be with you in spirit.”

The open letter “to our friends at Glen Cove” states, “On behalf of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, I thank you for your efforts to protect the sacred sites here at Glen Cove in the City of Vallejo. With your help, we succeeded in securing a cultural easement that will forever ensure that Native Americans govern the protection of this area so cherished by those who gave us life… you have persevered through many difficulties and your willingness to support our efforts is so greatly appreciated.”

The Yocha Dehe representatives also brought with them the news that the “reduced” parking lot still planned by GVRD is a 2 space parking lot for the handicapped. Careful testing will be done to make certain that the area where they want to place this lot contains no cultural materials or human remains.

This past weekend was packed with special occasions and visitors, including a contingent of island indigenous people from the Oceania Coalition of Northern California (OCNC) that brought gifts and blessings, a delegation from “Free Peltier, Free Em All” with Fred Hampton Jr, and a group of Native Hawaiians who stayed late in to the evening, sharing songs and stories of Hawaiian struggles. The Vallejo Intertribal Council’s annual Pow-Wow was held in downtown Vallejo over the weekend, and on Sunday, warriors and supporters from Sogorea Te came out in strong numbers to sing the AIM honoring song and Sogorea Te song.

Photos and a more detailed report from this weekend’s events will be posted soon!

Recent articles & media

• Times-Herald editorial 7/27: We came together at Glen Cove
• Times-Herald editorial 7/26: Passion pays off by Kim DeOcampo
• Times-Herald editorial 7/26: Glen Cove lessons by Sean Maddox
• Photos via Facebook 7/26: Tapa Ceremony @ Glen Cove from the Oceania Coalition of Northern CA
• Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation 7/25: Open Letter to Our Friends at Glen Cove (PDF)
• Just out via WePay: Help Sogorea Te warriors travel to the San Francisco Peaks – Gas money!!

A few photos – more to be posted in forthcoming “weekend update”

Porta-potty mural… thanks, Clarice!

Singing the Sogorea Te song at the Vallejo Inter-tribal Council Pow-Wow in downtown Vallejo.

Prayer songs with elderberry clappers at the edge of the cove.

Dear Vallejo Times-Herald,

The Committee to Protect Glen Cove/Sogorea Te would like to extend our thanks to the residents of Glen Cove, as well as the greater Vallejo community, who have supported us in the struggle to preserve and protect this sacred burial ground.

While our presence may have been an irritation to a few neighborhood residents, we have appreciated the support of the vast majority of those living in the area, as they have recognized the importance of maintaining Sogorea Te in its original state, as opposed to refurbishing it in ways that would disturb the ancestors buried there. We successfully collaborated with these same neighbors to maintain our presence while still fully respecting theirs.

In doing so, we found that individuals from all walks of life were able to come together and learn from each other while in the process of reaching a resolution. We applaud the cultural easement signed by the Yocha Dehe and Cortina tribes, GVRD, and the City of Vallejo as a victory, because it provides a framework for preserving the sanctity of Sogorea Te/Glen Cove forever.

We all look forward, with great anticipation, to returning to our lives, families, homes, jobs, schools, and other commitments with warmer hearts knowing what is possible when we stand up for what we believe in. The terms of the easement provide us with ten days to wrap up our prayer vigil. As we have been there for 103 days in a sacred ceremony, it is vital that it draw to a close in a consistent manner.

On Saturday, July 30th, we will have a closing ceremony to honor those who have participated in the struggle and extinguish the sacred fire. We vacate the land on Sunday July 31st, leaving the condition of Glen Cove/Sogorea Te improved from when we first arrived. We thank the residents of the area again for their participation in this precedent setting chapter of local history.

- The Committee to Protect Glen Cove/Sogorea Te

This evening, Vallejo City Council unanimously voted to finalize a Cultural
Easement and Settlement Agreement with the Cortina and Yocha Dehe tribes, granting them legal rights to oversee and protect the sacred grounds at Glen Cove. Charlie Wright of the Cortina Band of Wintun Indians and Marshall McKay of Yocha Dehe attended the council meeting, as did approximately 35 people from the prayer vigil at Sogorea Te.

Marshall McKay addressed the Council during the public meeting, asking them to finalize the agreement. During his speech he kindly addressed the long term resistance to the City and GVRD’s plans at Glen Cove, stating that “the resistance is born from a deep and abiding protective spirit.” A transcript of McKay’s full statement can be found below.

In the evening following the City Council meeting, a circle was held at Sogorea Te for thoughts and reflections to be shared. Wounded Knee DeOcampo was the last to speak, and he shared a story about how this struggle to protect the ancestors Sogorea Te became the central work of his life over the past twelve years. After the story, and giving thanks to everyone – especially the young Indian people, Wounded spoke:

“As indigenous people, we stay together as a family. That’s what makes us strong. My friend Dennis Banks has always told me, Wounded, stay strong. Fight for your people. Tell the young ones how to stand up, teach them, for we will not be around on this earth forever. And I don’t want to be here forever.

…So when those ceremonies come [next Saturday], I want you to pray. I want you to think about your ancestors, how they’ve watched over you and how they still watch over you. Prayer is very powerful if you use it in the right way. Stay strong my friends, and we will never be defeated. As an elder told me a long time ago, you only lose when you give up. So never give up.”

Reminder: A closing ceremony for the spiritual encampment will be held at Sogorea Te on Saturday, July 30th. Details to be announced.

Also, tomorrow (Saturday, the 22nd) we are expecting visitors from island indigenous nations (including Maori & Hawaii’an at 10am) as well as dancers from the Colusa Indian Community (Cachil Dehe) and Mexica dancers from Hayward, CA.

Marshall McKay, Yocha Dehe Chairman, speaks to City Council

Transcription

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Vice Mayor, Councilpeople and Staff. I’m pleased to appear before you today on behalf of Yocha Dehe, and I have with me the honorable chairman from my sister tribe, Chairman Wright from the Cortina Band of Wintun Indians, to address this matter of the park project in Glen Cove, which the City and the Recreation District have faced a lot of resistance to in the past.

As you know, the resistance is born from a deep and abiding protective spirit. Those who have raised concerns have a deep respect for and a connection to these lands. In the earlier days here, these lands were used for a place of worship, of trading, of ceremony, and communing. This is not only true for our Patwin ancestors, but for many Native Americans here. Some came specifically to visit these lands, others were simply traveling through. We stand here before you today, wanting to protect these lands.

We want to honor those who lived here before, who traded, prayed, laughed and danced here, and who are now buried there. We have worked together in our respective governments, in good faith and collaborative effort, to find a way to allow a park project to move forward while ensuring the sacred burial sites that are on these lands remain protected. Protected and free from further discovery, and free from disturbance and desecration.

The product of our governments’ collaboration, I think, is clearly precedent setting. And it formulates to come out in the cultural and conservative easement. California law empowers sovereign tribal governments now to hold in their own names these easements. These easements are allowed specifically for the protection of sacred sites and the burials on ancestral lands.

This easement would accomplish precisely that. The easement would also enable the long term park project of the Greater Vallejo Recreational District to proceed. It balances the present with the past. It enables the people of today to walk on these lands and enjoy the vistas while ensuring the spirits of those who rest on those lands remain undisturbed.

The easement and the proposed settlement that we have negotiated is a way to finally balance between the past and the present, and we ask you to support it. Thank you.

The following five photos are by Melanie Cervantes from this album.

Left to right: Morning Star Gali (Achumawi Pit River), Wounded Knee DeOcampo (Tuolumne Miwok), Corrina Gould (Chochenyo/Karkin Ohlone)

Announcement: A closing ceremony for the spiritual encampment will
be held at Sogorea Te on Saturday, July 30th. Details TBA.

Press Release: After 98 days and nights of a continuous prayer vigil, the
Committee to Protect Glen Cove is pleased to announce a victory in the struggle to protect the sacred grounds of Sogorea Te/Glen Cove.

Yesterday, the Yocha Dehe and Cortina tribes established a cultural easement and settlement agreement with the City of Vallejo and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD). The agreement sets a legal precedent for granting Native peoples jurisdiction over their sacred sites and ancestral lands. The cultural easement forever guarantees that the Yocha Dehe and Cortina tribes will have legal oversight in all activities taking place on the sacred burial grounds of Sogorea Te/Glen Cove. It also represents a significant step forward in enacting tribal sovereignty, as the first such easement under CA Senate Bill 18 to be negotiated at the city and recreational district levels.

The agreement’s terms include elimination of the formerly planned restroom facility and relocation of a downsized 2-space parking lot to an area thoroughly tested to confirm that it contains no human remains or cultural remnants.

While the specifics of the deal leave some ambiguity about how GVRD’s park development project can and cannot proceed, the Committee is hopeful that Yocha Dehe and Cortina will use their newfound influence to make sure that the resting place of the ancestors is not further disturbed or desecrated.

“The cultural easement is an important victory, however we are concerned about the lack of specific language that would prevent grading on the western portion of the site,” states Corrina Gould (Chochenyo/Karkin Ohlone.) “We will be communicating this to the tribes and we have faith that they will take all necessary measures to ensure that ancestral remains and cremations are left undisturbed.”

Gould continued, “We appreciate and are humbled by the vast support that we have received in protecting our ancestors. It is our responsibility to continue to do the work to make certain that all of our sacred places are protected.”

The historical and cultural value of the 3,500-year old site has never been disputed and it continues to be spiritually important to California tribes. On April 14th, local Native Americans and supporters began a 24-hour prayer vigil at Sogorea Te to prevent the Greater Vallejo Recreation District from bulldozing/grading a large portion of the sacred site and constructing bathrooms and a parking lot.

Related news articles

• Intercontinental Cry 7/20: Major Victory in Struggle To Protect Sogorea Te/Glen Cove
• Native News Network 7/20: VICTORY for Protestors at Sogorea Te
• Black Mesa Indigenous Support 7/20: Major Victory for Protection of the Sogorea Te
• Rainforest Action Network 7/20: Victory At Glen Cove: “A Win For the Ancestors”
• Sacred Land Film Project 7/21: Victory at Sogorea Te/Glen Cove
• Dignidad Rebelde 7/22: Photos: Day 98 at Sogorea Te – A day to celebrate
• Times-Herald 7/21: Hoping for a happy ending with Glen Cove demonstrations

Some photos from this evening at Sogorea Te

Week 14: Following last week’s large demonstrations at City Hall and
GVRD Headquarters, dozens of committed warriors, elders and supporters have remained in prayer on the land at Sogorea Te, tending the sacred fire and upholding their commitments to seeing the struggle through. As day 100 of the 24-hour prayer vigil approaches, everyone eagerly awaits news regarding the cultural easement being negotiated between the City, GVRD, and the Cortina/Yocha Dehe tribes. We pray that it will be an honorable agreement that will protect the ancestors by specifically preventing development and bulldozing on all 15 acres of the sacred grounds.

Each day, new visitors arrive at Sogorea Te, bringing prayers, gifts and inspiration, while longer-term participants in the vigil continue to develop relationships with the land, its plant and animal life, and each other. Some have continued to gather wild native plants from the area, such as Amole Lilies and California Mugwort, for use as food and medicine.

On Saturday the 16th, a large group of Mexica Dancers from Hayward, CA held a series of ceremonial dances at Sogorea Te, bringing gifts of copal and tobacco for the vigil’s altar. Also on Saturday, Martha Duenas Baum (Chamorro) of the Oceania Coalition of Northern California arrived at Sogorea Te with a load of cedar firewood. She plans to return with a contingent of island people from the Oceania Coalition this coming Saturday morning (the 23rd), with songs, gifts and prayers.

On Sunday the 17th, a string of Tibetan prayer flags were presented to Wounded Knee DeOcampo and other participants in the vigil, and were hung near the entrance to Sogorea Te. The prayer flags were sent by a member of the Marin County Tibetan community, who says that “Tibetans support the people at Sogorea Te and are praying for them.” When told recently about the situation at Glen Cove, he was greatly saddened and said that “it’s just like they’re doing to us in Tibet.”

This Wednesday, July 20th (today!), youth from the Oakland-based Homies Empowerment Program will be cooking up a storm and then journeying Sogorea Te, bringing dinner to all the warriors still holding it down. They will be meeting in Oakland at 5:00pm to carpool up. To view their Facebook invitation, click here. We are also expecting a visit from a group of young Native artists (Ojibwe, Metis, Maori, Dine & Hawai’ian) on Wednesday evening, accompanied by Melanie Cervantes.

Recent articles

• SF Chronicle 7/16: Vallejo compromises on park at Indian burial site (+7 photos)
• Times-Herald 7/15: GVRD, tribes to continue talking about Glen Cove park plans
• Francisco Da Costa 7/15: Glen Cove Park Project still to be decided – protest enters 93rd day
• The Wild Hunt 7/20: Pagan Chaplain Speaks Out on Native Sacred Lands
• Times-Herald Letter to the Editor 7/20: Respect the history by Anna Christensen
• In These Times 7/14: On Sacred Ground: Native Occupation of Cove Enters 13th Week
• Times-Herald 7/12: Vallejo City Council, tribes seek to resolve ‘spiritual vigil’ at park site

Recent media

• Free Radio Santa Cruz 7/09: Interview with Corrina Gould hosted by Donna Wallach.
• Tony Bautista via Facebook 7/13: Video: Klee Benally and Blackfire at Eastside Arts Alliance in Oakland – with Glen Cove slideshow
• Bay Native Circle (KPFA) 7/13: 1-hour show hosted by Morning Star Gali – featuring an interview w/ Corrina Gould about efforts to Protect Glen Cove + an update on Leonard Peltier’s case with Robert R. Bryan, Peltier’s lead attorney.

Some photos from the past week

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), gathered from nearby Glen Cove for use in a medicinal salve.

Gathering Amole Lily (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) AKA “Soap Plant” bulbs on the eastern bank of Glen Cove, to be roasted and eaten.

Amole Lily bulbs (Chlorogalum pomeridianum)

The fibers that form the Amole bulb’s husks make great cordage and brushes.

Sitting on the eastern banks of Glen Cove at sunset, with the rising moon.

One of the Mexica dancers, presenting gifts (including copal and tobacco) to Johnella LaRose of the Protect Glen Cove Committee

Kingman Lim, who runs a Berkeley-based tree service, brought cut rounds from a tree that he took down in Richmond on Sunday.

George Cammarota, a long time supporter of Bay Area efforts to protect sacred sites, tirelessly explaining the struggle at Glen Cove to two newcomers.

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) in full fragrant flower on the western bank of Glen Cove.