Arriving just in time for Native American Heritage Month, NUMU’s latest dual-exhibit showcase, “Reawakening: Muwekma Ohlone Culture and Connection in Pursuit of Recognition,” puts a spotlight on one particularly vibrant Bay Area First Nation’s recent activism.
The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe—whose petition for federal recognition was denied in 2002 after the US 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”—went on a 90-day “Trail of Truth” horseback journey to Washington, DC in 2024 to push for a congressional override.
“They traveled with sacred horses gifted to them by the Lakota Nation, and were supported by several tribal nations across the US that welcomed them on their land and reinforced their message to the US Bureau of Indian Affairs,” NUMU’s website reads.
“Two companion exhibitions developed in partnership with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, San José State University Dept. of Anthropology and New Museum Los Gatos highlight Muwekma Ohlone cultural practices, land stewardship and their ongoing efforts to restore their federal recognition.”
“Muwekma Ohlone Culture and Connection in Pursuit of Recognition” will be on view in the Mike & Alyce Parsons Reception Gallery through Nov. 29, and “Reciprocity of Land, Sea and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe” will be in the Spotlight Gallery through Jan. 3.
numulosgatos.org/exhibitions-2/reawakening-culture
