Amah Mutsun Tribal Band: History and Current Efforts to Steward Ancestral Lands

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band: History and Current Efforts to Steward Ancestral Lands

Thursday, December 2, 6:30 pm. Open to the public via Zoom.

Join Amah Mutsun Tribal Chair Valentin Lopez for a special hour-long presentation that will include Tribal history, and ongoing Tribal efforts to steward its Ancestral Lands. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is composed of descendants from those who were taken to Mission San Juan Bautista and Mission Santa Cruz. Much of the southern portion of Santa Clara County is part of the Tribe's Ancestral Territory. Tribal Ancestors faced overt waves of genocide and forced land appropriation. By the turn of the 20th century, nearly 98% of the Indigenous population of the region had been wiped out.

Juristac is the most important ceremonial site for the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Juristac's boundaries stretch from Santa Clara County, into San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties. Aside from Juristac's religious and cultural importance, the land is a critical part of the region's ecology. It provides unique habitats for threatened species, it is located on the banks of the Pajaro River, and it is the center of the only wildlife corridor to connect otherwise isolated animal populations in the Santa Cruz, Gavilan, and Diablo Mountain Ranges.

The media have dubbed Juristac as 'Silicon Valley's version of Standing Rock'. Juristac is threatened by ongoing oil production, ongoing construction activities, and by a proposal for a massive open-pit mine. The draft environmental impact report for this open-pit mine is due to be released in the near future. And the Tribe is working with many groups and residents to oppose the creation of the mine. The Santa Clara Democratic Party, the Santa Cruz Democratic Party, CDP Region 7, and the California Democratic Party at the state level have all passed resolutions to oppose the creation of that mine. Please consider attending this meeting, and learn what you can do to act in solidarity with the Tribe.

Register in advance for this free event, open to members and non-members alike.
The zoom room opens at 6:00 pm and the meeting begins at 6:30 pm.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdO6tqj0sE9wvvfugmcm0cx6o7_hEFKwV