Tribe Saves Sacred Land

VALLEJO, CA – Hundreds gathered at Glen Cove, Calif., for a closing ceremony to celebrate what Native American activists and their allies are declaring an historic victory.

The Yocha Dehe and Cortina tribes established a cultural easement and settlement agreement with the City of Vallejo and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District. 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.

It also represents a significant step forward in enacting tribal sovereignty, as the first such easement under California Senate Bill 18 to be negotiated at the city and recreational district levels.

"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 sites 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 American Indians 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.