Rematriation

Rematriation, as opposed to repatriation, refers to the returning the responsibility for tending of the earth back to our Earth Mother via the original caretakers of the earth--the original peoples who embrace the traditional practice of listening to our Earth Mother for instruction. From our Earth Mother we receive two basic responsibilities: the care for the natural world and to care for people (i.e., the residents who live in our traditional territory). Our Earth Mother herself is our model for care. We are instructed to tend to the natural world in the same way that our Mother Earth has for millennia.

The ideal of rematriation and the land back movement should be accompanied by a recognition of the burdens of land acquisition and maintenance, or the need for capacity--the financial, legal, and human resources necessary for the annual management of land. Unrecognized tribes in particular are limited in their ability to embrace increased opportunity to acquire land because of their general lack of capacity.

The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone works with the Tribal Council to pursue options for re-acquiring land within our tribal territory via the Ramaytush Land Trust. Land back can take many forms, including but not limited to literal land return and legal ownership, long-term lease, co-management, and access.

Current rematriation efforts include the CalTrans right-of-way in Montara and Moss Beach, San Pedro Point near Pacifica, the Filoli estate, and Black Point. Details on each rematriation effort will remain confidential until finalized. The land at Black Point, for example, was offered to the Ramaytush Tribe who then offered it to the American Indian Cultural District who now co-manages the site with the National Park Service.