Desk Item. Item #25 - Land Ackowledgement
PREPARED BY: Holly Zappala
Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 06/07/2022 ITEM NO: 25 DESK ITEM
DATE: June 7, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Provide Direction Regarding a Potential Land Acknowledgement Regarding
Aboriginal Homeland
REMARKS:
Since the initial publication of the report, staff has received questions from Council Members
regarding acknowledging the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe in the proposed Land Acknowledgement
language, as both the Tamien Nation and the Muwekma Ohlone claim Los Gatos land.
The present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is comprised of all of the known surviving American
Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the
Missions Dolores, Santa Clara, and San Jose; and who were also members of the historic
Federally Recognized Verona Band of Alameda County. The aboriginal homeland of the
Muwekma Ohlone Tribe includes the following counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, most of
Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and portions of Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano and San Joaquin.
This large contiguous geographical area, which historically crosscuts aboriginal linguistic and
tribal boundaries, fell under the sphere of influence of the aforementioned three missions
between 1776 and 1836. The missionization policies deployed by the Catholic Church and
militarily supported by the Hispanic Empire, brought many distantly related, and in some cases,
already inter-married tribal groups together at the missions.
The request for the Town of Los Gatos to incorporate a Land Acknowledgement came from the
Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition following their engagement with the Tamien Nation Tribal
Chairwoman. Staff believed it was important to reach out directly to the Tamien Nation Tribal
Chairwoman prior to submitting the report for Council consideration, as she had been
previously involved with the discussion.
PAGE 2 OF 2 SUBJECT: Land Acknowledgement DATE: June 6, 2022
REMARKS (continued):
Before initiating a discussion with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, staff looks to direction from the
Town Council on whether to move forward with a Land Acknowledgement.
The City of San Jose is currently working with both the Tamien Nation and Muwekma Ohlone on
a Land Acknowledgement to be included in the San Jose City Charter. As discussions become
more complex when working with more than one Tribe, the City of San Jose hired a Tribal
Mediator to facilitate the work.
Should Council decide to pursue a Land Acknowledgement and recognize and honor the
Muwekma Ohlone and Tamien Nation, staff recommends engaging the services of a Tribal
Mediator. The approximate fee for this service is $250 - $450 per hour.
Due to current staff workloads, the increased attention that a Land Acknowledgement requires,
and if Council decides to move forward, the Land Acknowledgement work could be considered
in the context of the other recommendations resulting from the external Justice, Equity,
Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) consultant report. Staff could return to Council with the Land
Acknowledgement item in August in conjunction with the JEDI report and recommendations.
Once Council sees all of the recommendations together, Council could decide if a Land
Acknowledgement is the highest priority recommendation.
Since the initial publication of the Land Acknowledgement staff report, staff also received a
question from a Council Member regarding what percentage of communities are using a Land
Acknowledgment similar to the one proposed in the report. Staff is unable to provide a
percentage, as the Land Acknowledgements are all very individualized. If the Council decides to
move forward, the proposed language could potentially change depending on engagement with
Muwekma Ohlone.
Attachments Previously Received with the Staff Report:
1. Land Acknowledgement Examples
Attachments Received with this Desk Item:
2. Public Comment
Attachment 2
From: Pam Bond
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2022 7:22 PM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Public Comment Item 25
EXTERNAL SENDER
Dear Council Members of Los Gatos, I am writing to you today to strongly urge you to vote in favor of the land acknowledgement for the Tamien Nation. With recent DEI efforts by the Town Council and its current Listen, Learn, Change, Grow campaign,
this land acknowledgment will provide a lot of educational value for our community. Most people aren't aware of the existence of the Ohlone people, even fewer are aware of the Tamien Nation. A land acknowledgement is a critical first step in establishing potential future correspondence and collaboration with the indigenous people of this land.
Therefore, I am in full support of passing this land acknowledgement. Thank you for your consideration,
Pam Bond
From: Erica Rose
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2022 11:30 PM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject:
EXTERNAL SENDER
Dear Council Members of Los Gatos, My name is Erica Weinstein. I am writing to you today to strongly urge you to vote in favor of the land acknowledgement in Los Gatos. The fact is that this land is unceded territory, forcibly taken by
colonists. There is no greater injustice than our willingness to forget our past. There is no greater injustice than neglect. This is our history and we have a responsibility to teach it. With recent DEI efforts by the Town Council and its current Listen, Learn, Change, Grow campaign, this land acknowledgment will provide a lot of educational value for our community. A land acknowledgement is a critical first step in establishing potential future correspondence and
collaboration with the indigenous people of this land. Therefore, I am in full support of passing a land acknowledgement. Thank you for your consideration, Erica Weinstein
Attachment 2
From: Erin Quigley
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2022 7:39 PM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Public comment item #25
EXTERNAL SENDER
Dear Council Members of Los Gatos, My name is Erin Quigley. I am writing to you today to strongly urge you to vote in favor of the land
acknowledgement for the Tamien Nation. With recent DEI efforts by the Town Council and its current Listen, Learn, Change, Grow campaign, this land acknowledgment will provide a lot of educational value for our community. Most people aren't aware of the existence of the Ohlone people, even fewer are aware of the Tamien Nation. A land acknowledgement is a critical first step in establishing potential future correspondence and
collaboration with the indigenous people of this land. Therefore, I am in full support of passing this land acknowledgement. Thank you for your consideration, Erin Quigley
Sent from my iPhone
From: Elizabeth
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2022 6:50 PM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Land Acknowledgement
EXTERNAL SENDER
My name is Liz Meier. I am writing to you today to strongly urge you to vote in favor of the land acknowledgement for the Tamien Nation. With recent DEI efforts by the Town Council and its current Listen, Learn, Change, Grow campaign,
this land acknowledgment will provide a lot of educational value for our community. Most people aren't aware of the existence of the Ohlone people, even fewer are aware of the Tamien Nation. A land acknowledgement is a critical first step in establishing potential future correspondence and collaboration with the indigenous people of this land.
Therefore, I am in full support of passing this land acknowledgement.
Thank you for your consideration, Elizabeth Meier
Sent from my iPhone