Muwekma Ohlone Tribe
 Members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe attend a proclamation of San Francisco's first official Indigenous Peoples' Day, October 2018. | |
| Named after | Muwekmea is a Chochenyo language term for "the people", Ohlone people |
|---|---|
| Formation | nonprofit: 2018[1] |
| Founded at | Castro Valley, California[1][2] |
| Type | nonprofit organization[2] |
| EIN 82-2448663[2] | |
| Purpose | Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose (A20)[2] |
| Headquarters | Castro Valley, California[2] |
| Location |
|
Official language | English |
Principal officer | Charlene Nijmeh[2] |
| Revenue | $714,765[1] (2022) |
| Expenses | $384,655[1] (2022) |
| Staff | 1[1] (2022) |
| Website | muwekma |
Formerly called | Ohlone/Costanoan Muwekma Tribe[3] |
The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is an unrecognized American Indian organization, primarily composed of documented descendants of the Ohlone, an historic Indigenous people of California. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is the largest of several groups in the San Francisco Bay Area that identify as Ohlone tribes.[4]
Almost all members of the organization are documented descendants of the Verona Band of Alameda County, an historic band of Ohlone people.[3]
Status
[edit]The organization is not recognized as a Native American tribe by the federal government or by the California state government, which does not recognize any state tribes.[5]
Petition for federal recognition
[edit]The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, formerly known as the Ohlone/Costanoan Muwekma Tribe, applied for federal recognition as a Native American tribe; however, in their petition was denied in 2002. The US Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs found a lack of "evidence since 1927 of substantially continuous external identification of the petitioning group as a continuation of the historical 'Verona Band' or Pleasanton rancheria."[3] The final determination also stated: "Because the petitioning group was not identified as an Indian entity for a period of almost four decades after 1927 … it has not been identified as an Indian entity on a 'substantially continuous' basis since 1927."[3] The final determination also "concluded that 99 percent of its current members have satisfactorily documented their descent from individuals on the Verona Band proxy list, or sibling thereof."[3]
Nonprofit organization
[edit]The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Inc. was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2018.[1] Charlene Nijmeh, based in Castro Valley, California, is the principal officer.[2] Their mission states: "The specific purpose of this corporation is for religious purposes of addressing ancestral [N]ative [A]merican sacred sites."[2]
In 2020 and 2022, their administration was:
- Chairman: Charlene Nijmeh
- Vice Chair: Richard Massiatt
- Treasurer: Monica Arellano
- Secretary: Gloria E Gomez[1]
The Peninsula Open Space Trust, Children and Nature Network, and PayPal Giving Fund all provided grants to the nonprofit in 2021 or 2022.[1]
Dispute with Other Ohlone Groups
[edit]Other unrecognized Ohlone organizations such as the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, the Tamien Nation, and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan have accused the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of undermining their historical claims of legitimacy with the goal of controlling potential future Ohlone Indian gaming rights.
The resulting confusion has caused difficulties for local cities seeking to perform appropriate land acknowledgements as part of government meetings.[6]
Disinformation Campaign against Zoe Lofgren and Ohlone Organizations
[edit]In her 2024 campaign to represent California's 18th congressional district, Muwekma chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh retained the services of political consultant Matthew Ricchiazzi, who created fake news sites and distributed 60,000 anonymous fake newspapers attacking incumbent House Representative Zoe Lofgren. Per Federal elections law, campaign materials must include campaign ID numbers or disclosures, which these did not. Ricchiazzi said he was not working on behalf of the Nijmeh campaign and the papers were merely "an independent hobby project of mine". [7] In a May 2024 interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vice-presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan, Nijmeh described Ricchiazzi as her "assistant" and said that he was entitled to "free speech".[8] Local businesses complained the newspaper included fake ads that used their business names without permission.[9]
Ricchiazzi also created a purported news site, "The San Francisco Inquirer", which sought to undermine legitimacy claims of several other Ohlone groups. The site included accusations that Association of Ramaytush Ohlone Executive Director Jonathan Cordero is “widely seen in Indian Country as a ‘Pretendian'", while not identifying any source for the statement.[10]
Notable members
[edit]- Vincent Medina, American chef
See also
[edit]- Cafe Ohlone
- List of organizations that self-identify as Native American tribes
- Native American recognition in the United States
- Ohlone
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "Muwekma Ohlone Tribe". CauseIQ. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Inc". GuideStar. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e McCaleb, Neal A. (September 17, 2022). "Final Determination To Decline to Acknowledge the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe" (PDF). Federal Register. 67 (180): 58631–632. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "The Ohlone in Santa Clara". Santa Clara University Library. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "New California law seeks to give tribes more standing to recover sacred objects from museums". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ Geary, Quirina (2022-12-15). "Op-Ed: Tamien Nation deserves to be recognized as historical Los Gatos tribe". Los Gatan. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ Giwargis, Ramona; Pho, Brandon (2024-02-12). "Silicon Valley congressional candidate tied to fake newspaper". San José Spotlight. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ VP candidate Nicole Shanahan interviews Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh. YouTube. 2024-05-06. Event occurs at 1:36:29. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ Editorial, Morgan Hill Life (2024-02-24). "Editorial: Propaganda, fake news have no place in South Valley politics". Morgan Hill Life. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ "A 'Pretendian' claim. Territory disputes. A Bay Area tribe's bid for federal recognition sparks conflict". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
External links
[edit]- Muwekma Ohlone Tribe official website