Speaker: Corrina Gould | Air Date: February 3, 2022 | Run Time: 40 mins | The Native Seed Pod: Season 3
Rematriating the Land with Corrina Gould
Host Melissa Nelson sits down on the land for a wide-ranging conversation with Ohlone leader Corrina Gould of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, discussing rematriating Indigenous homelands, the history and strategy of land trusts and Native land taxes, resilience hubs in the Bay Area, and much more.
Corrina and Melissa talk about how to grow the network of Himmetka resilience hubs, emerging to respond to emergency and to be good hosts as Indigenous people based in urban areas such as in Lisjan, the traditional Ohlone village site in deep East Oakland, California. Corrina discusses multiple other sites that have returned to Ohlone hands, and dreams for the future of Sogorea Te’ and rematriating the land.
This conversation was recorded on August 2, 2021 at Heron Shadow.
Rematriate the Land geomorphic visualization by Maisie Richards and Inés Ixierda
“It’s going to take a lot to heal but I think we’re at the beginning, people want to do something different, they are finding the power to move in different ways...”
Corrina Gould (Ohlone)
About Corrina Gould (Ohlone)
Corrina Gould is the tribal spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan. Born and raised in her ancestral homeland, the Ohlone territory of Huchiun, she is the mother of three and grandmother of four. Corrina has worked on preserving and protecting the ancient burial sites of her ancestors throughout the Bay Area for decades. She has developed an extensive network of partnerships and collaborations within intertribal Indigenous communities and across a broad spectrum of ethnic and community groups and organizations. A lead organizer in the campaign to Save the West Berkeley Shellmound, Corrina has won historic victories in the ongoing struggle to protect Indigenous sacred sites.
Corrina is the Co-Founder and a Lead Organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change, a small Native run advocacy organization that works on Indigenous issues. From 2005-2009, IPOC led an annual Shellmound Peace Walk to bring about education and awareness of the desecration of the sacred sites in the greater Bay Area.
In April of 2011 Corrina, Wounded Knee De Ocampo and a committee of others, joined together and put a call out to warriors to create a prayerful vigil and occupation of Sogorea Te’ in Vallejo CA. This is a 15 acre Sacred Site that sits along the Carquinez Straits. The occupation lasted for 109 days and resulted in a cultural easement between the City of Vallejo, the Greater Vallejo Recreation District and two federally recognized tribes. This struggle was victorious and will set precedence in this type of work going forward with others that are working on sacred sites issues within city boundaries in California.
Corrina is the Co-Founder/Co-Director of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, the first Indigenous women led urban land trust in the country. She has helped to bring the work of rematriation into public consciousness. A celebrated speaker locally, nationally and internationally, at schools, universities, conferences and community events, she regularly offers protocol, stories, guidance, history and vision.
Himmetka resilience hub in Lisjan, Oakland, California, on sovereign Ohlone territory stewarded by Sogorea Te’ land Trust. Photo courtesy of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.
Sogorea Te’ Land Trust visiting The Cultural Conservancy’s farm at Heron Shadow.
CREDITS
Host/Writer/Director: Melissa K. Nelson
Producers: Mateo Hinojosa, Sara Moncada
Audio Editor and Engineer: Colin Farish
Audio Recordists: Luke Reppe, Sara Moncada
Photography: Inés Ixierda, Melissa K. Nelson
Song Credits
Music by: Colin Farish
Guitar - Colin Farish, Sudhananda Paul Greaver
Strings - Worn Chamber Ensemble, Fog Town Four Cello Quartet
Voice: Teresa Nelson, Capomo, Kanyon Sayers-Rood, Tina Malia
Percussion and Frame Drums - Glen Velez, Colin Farish, Capomo
Violin - Genevieve Walker
Piano - Victoria Theodore
Soundscapes- Colin Farish
Used by permission
Winds of the Muse ASCAP 2022
Sogorea Te’ Land Trust visiting The Cultural Conservancy’s farm at Heron Shadow.