Before You Are Here: Decolonial Cartographies and the Indigenous Bay Area

Before You Are Here: Decolonial Cartographies and the Indigenous Bay Area

Celebrate Native Heritage Month with the release of the Before You Are Here map and event uplifting Ohlone voices and perspectives exploring the histories and representations of Bay Area Indigenous territories and their present manifestations.

The Before You Are Here map challenges traditional cartographic paradigms by weaving together multiple spaces and times to depict the Bay Area as an ambiguous, relational, and deeply contested site focusing on the where, rather than the when. 

Speakers will include Corrina Gould, Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, Gregg Castro, T’rowt’raahl Salinan / Rumsien-Ramaytush Ohlone, and Quirina Geary, Tamien Nation, along with UC Berkeley cartographer Clancy Wilmott. Hosted By Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.

Speakers

Corrina Gould (Tribal Chair for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation), was born and raised in the village of Huichin, now known as Oakland CA. She is the Co-Founder and Lead Organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change, a small Native-run organization, and the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, an urban Indigenous women-led organization within her ancestral territory. Through the practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, the Land Trust calls on Native and non-Native peoples to heal and transform legacies of colonization, genocide, and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do.

Gregg Castro [t’rowt’raahl Salinan/rumsien-ramaytush Ohlone], has been involved in preservation of his cultural heritage for nearly three decades, for both his late Mother’s rumsien Ohlone heritage, and on his late Father’s side, the since ended ‘Salinan Nation Tribal Council’ (serving two terms as Tribal Chair) and currently the non-profit organization, Salinan T’rowt’raahl. Gregg is a member of the Society for California Archaeology (SCA). Gregg is a Co-Facilitator for the annual California Indian Conference, a 30+ year gathering about California Indigenous heritage. Gregg is a writer and activist within the California indigenous community, on issues regarding cultural preservation, protection, education and traditional practices.

Quirina Luna Geary is an enrolled citizen and Chairwoman of the Tamien Nation of the Santa Clara Valley. She is a board member for the Advocates of Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS) and studied linguistics at the University of California Davis. She has worked for over 26 years revitalizing the language of her great-grandmother and has co-authored several academic publications. She is an advocate for the protection and preservation of Tamien cultural and sacred landscapes and has received the KQED American Indian Heritage Local Hero Award for her community service.

Clancy Wilmott is an Assistant Professor in Critical Cartography, Geovisualization and Design in the Berkeley Centre for New Media and the Department of Geography. She comes to UC Berkeley from the Department of Geography at the University of Manchester, where she received her PhD in Human Geography with a multi-site study on the interaction between mobile phone maps, cartographic discourse and postcolonial landscapes.

About Sogorea Te’ Land Trust

Sogorea Te’ Land Trust is an urban Indigenous women-led land trust based in the San Francisco Bay Area that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people. Through the practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, Sogorea Te’ calls on Native and non-native peoples to heal and transform the legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do.

Accessibility

Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to providing programs that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive of our community. Wheelchairs, sensory inclusive devices, and additional amenities are available for checkout on a first come, first served basis at the Ticketing Desk. To request other accommodations, like American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Spanish or another language interpreter, please email [email protected] at least three weeks before the event. Learn more about our accessibility options.