Last week Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh met with renowned Lakota activists and faith leaders in South Dakota, where they discussed allyship and collaboration on the ‘Trail of Truth’, a cross country expedition that Nijmeh is planning to launch on August 1st.
A legendary Lakota horse family, led by Percy White Plume has committed a sacred line of horses to the expedition and performed a protection ceremony and blessing for the journey. Mashana Camp, a war chief of the Lakota Nation and a descendent of Chief Red Cloud, also offered his blessings.
The expedition will traverse indigenous communities across the country, and the Chairwoman will be asking for allyship and solidarity as she travels to Washington, DC to establish a protest camp on the lawn of the Capitol in the weeks prior to federal elections. Nijmeh believes that the expedition will snowball into a caravan of thousands of indigenous people on horseback and in vehicles, and could become a third American Indian Movement.
“This is about our recognition as sovereigns. We need to restore the status of the unrecognized and terminated tribes. It’s about the political liberation of all of Indian Country, not just some of Indian Country,” Chairwoman Nijmeh explains.
“When the first American Indian Movement began in the 60’s to fight against police brutality and the oppression of Native American rights, it was at its core a liberation movement for Native Nations. Although that movement resulted in the restoration of tribes that were terminated in the 50s and 60s, it left out many tribes who also deserved recognition,” Chairwoman Nijmeh explains.
Many of these forgotten or ignored tribes were from California. The unique history of the Spanish Mission system, the genocide that resulted from the Gold Rush, and the Senate’s failure to ratify 18 treaties in the mid-1800s, and Indian Agent Lafayette Dorrington‘s disregard for more than 100 bands of landless Indians in the State caused the federal government to turn a blind eye to their existence.
“The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe was one of these forgotten tribes that was federally recognized as late as 1947 and was never terminated by Congress. But because of an administrative error of not placing our tribe on the first official list of federally recognized tribes in 1978, we have been fighting to correct that mistake for 45 years,” Nijmeh explains.
Many have argued that administrative oversight in 1978 was in fact an illegal act to terminate our status without Congressional action. Silicon Valley’s political power structure, with Sen. Diane Feinstein long at its helm, scoffed at the idea of a federally recognized tribe in the Bay Area.
“Sen. Feinstein was the staunchest opponent to our tribe’s restoration. She told me that she didn’t want an ‘Urban Tribe’ in her city. Those words haunt me to this day. They only believe in reconciliation if it is convenient to their agenda. The truth doesn’t play a factor in reconciliation,” Nijmeh insists.
“That’s what I want to change. This protest ride is about truth above all. Yes, it’s a three-month journey sharing our stories but also sharing our truth. It’s backed by documentation, DNA studies, ethnographers, and expert anthropologists,” she explains. “I want to expose the corruption that has oppressed tribes across the country.”
“This third American Indian Movement must shed light on the plight of the forgotten tribes and finally complete what the first movement started, the complete liberation of all tribal nations, not just the liberation of some tribal nations,” she adds.
The alliance between the Muwekma Ohlone and the Lakota has developed out of the diplomatic work that Muwekma Ohlone Faithkeeper Joseph Torres has spearheaded over the last several months.
“Allyship from traditional leaders in Indian Country is deeply important to us. For too long, Muwekma has been cast aside by the Bureau of Indian Affairs because wealthy gaming tribes in California have their foot on our necks with big-money lobbyists that buy off every politician they can to stop a reaffirmation of Muwekma’s federal status,” he explains. “Gaming has created a horrible divide among our people, between those who keep our traditional ways alive and those Tribes who are driven by money.”
Among the Tribe’s new allies are the descendants of Chief Red Cloud, including Mashana Camp a leading activist who was a key to the resistance at Standing Rock.
“Some of our Ohlone brothers have been coming out for Sundance, and we’ve been spending time in our prayer circle together. I’ve had a little understanding about Muwekma’s story and their recognition fight. When I heard the Chairwoman wanted to come and talk about it, I thought it was a wonderful thing,” Camp explains.
“We believe in the unity of all red nations. It’s not right that the United States decides who is Indian and who is not. We have been here since time immemorial. We’ve been allies since before the United States existed. We’ve had Abalone shells before Settler contact, so we know that we traded with our relatives along the coast,” he explains. “Our alliance goes back to before America existed.”
“In our family, we have freedom schools. Debra White Plume, my auntie and an environmental activist started the school. She believed in uniting all Indian Nations. We were raised in those beliefs,” Camp says.
“Muwekma Ohlone recognition is a just cause. It’s important that Native Nations support each other. The Muwekma Ohlone people are still and have always been on their land. I encourage all other Native Nation to support them,” he adds.
Camp’s grandfather was married to Leading Woman, Red Cloud’s daughter. Red Cloud is his great grandfather.
“Since back in the old times, hundreds of years ago, we’ve been connected with the horse. It’s very sacred to our people. There’s something about making that connection with the horse that you can feel his spirit. When a horse trusts a person, you know they have a good spirit,” he explains.
“We want to support our Muwekma relatives by bringing along our horses. I plan on riding when Muwekma gets to Lakota Territory. I know a lot of people will support their cause. I think a lot of the horse families will,” he says.
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