Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Makes Strides Toward Federal Recognition

Efforts for status restoration encourage Santa Clara community members to reflect on campus history

The Muwekma Ohlone tribe traces their ancestral lands throughout modern-day San Francisco and Santa Clara counties. The Franciscan missionaries and the local native tribes had a long and complex history of attempted conversion and forced labor. 

The lack of recognition of former tribal lands has become an important policy debate. On Jan. 11, Speaker Emerita Rep. Nancy Pelosi publicly backed the federal recognition of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Currently, the tribe is not represented on the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) list of recognized tribes. 

There are 574 Indigenous tribes federally recognized by the BIA. This entitles them to certain privileges and immunities by establishing a government-to-government relationship between the tribe and the United States. 

The push for federal recognition of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe began in 1989 when the original petition was submitted. While Congress has not officially disbanded the tribe, a series of government denials have prevented members of the tribe from being federally acknowledged. 

Charlene Nijmeh, the Muwekma Tribal Chairwoman, completed a congressional tour in Washington, D.C. early this month where she received bipartisan support for federal recognition of the tribe’s status. 

However, Bay Area congressional members in charge of the process have insisted on a gaming prohibition before publicly supporting the legislation – even though Nijmeh said they have no interest in any type of gaming. 

She views the prospective policy as a dangerous restriction of the tribe’s autonomy.

“The Muwekma Tribal Council and our members have decided we will fight for full sovereignty because limited sovereignty is a road that eventually leads to zero sovereignty,” said Nijmeh. “At this point in the arch of our history, we have an obligation to future generations to assert our sovereignty, not to sign it away,” 

Associate Professor and Chair of the Anthropology Department, Lee Panich, explained the possible campus-wide impact of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s federal recognition.

“Federal recognition of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe would elevate the conversations that are already happening about how to work together to change how mission history is portrayed on campus,” Panich said. “And for those skeptical about the need to change the way we do things, it would force them to confront the facts that Native people are still here and that their history deserves to be part of Santa Clara’s story.” 

Over 7,500 Indigenous individuals – including those of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe – are buried under the Mission Santa Clara, according to the Community Heritage Hub. 

Santa Clara currently recognizes the history of the Ohlone people on campus through land acknowledgments, which are mandated by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to be read at the beginning of campus events and are included on course syllabi with the aim of recognizing and paying respect to Indigenous peoples.

Another effort made by the university is an ongoing exhibit at the de Saisset Museum focused on Indigenous history with contributions from members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. 

“Santa Clara’s relationship with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and the presentation of their history goes back to the 1980s when tribal members helped construct the tule house on display in the de Saisset museum's California history exhibit,” Dr. Panich said.  “More recently, they were involved in the update to the de Saisset exhibit, were represented on the Ohlone History Working Group, have offered land acknowledgments during the inaugurations of Presidents Kevin O'Brien and Julie Sullivan, and have partnered with professors in the Departments of Anthropology and English on projects like the Virtual Native History Tour and the Ohlone Heritage Hub website.”

Dr. Panich and Amy Lueck, an associate professor in the English department, are instructing a course this quarter that focuses on the historical narratives and memorializations associated with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe on the Santa Clara campus. 

“It's hard to say how federal recognition would or wouldn't impact the portrayal of mission history on campus, but it does seem useful in making the point of Native survival and continuance, bringing the discussion out of history and more fully into the present,” Dr. Lueck said.

The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe members are continuing their efforts toward federal recognition through lobbying for an Act of Congress. Non-native individuals can get involved by petitioning and by raising awareness about the tribe's lasting impact across the Bay Area. 

“Their website has a petition that anyone can sign.” Dr. Panich said, “Students at Stanford have created a group called Justice for Muwekma, and it would be great to see Santa Clara students join them to support the tribe.”  

Dr. Lueck also encouraged students to get involved in the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s efforts for federal recognition.

“Make it your business to learn more about Ohlone heritage and the present-day concerns and recognition efforts of Ohlone people, and share this information with your friends and family,” she said. “Public memory is shaped by publics, and student communities represent potentially powerful publics who have a long history of dedicating their activist energies to making change.” 

Chairwoman Nijmeh urged constituents to lobby their congressional representatives and raise awareness for the issue of Muwekma Ohlone federal recognition. 

“You can call or write the 5 Bay Area Congress members, Rep. Anna Eshoo, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Eric Swalwell and Rep. Jimmy Panetta, and let them know the people of the SF Bay Area support full sovereignty for Muwekma. There is no place in Indian Country for second class tribes,” Nijmeh said.