Home > Our Network > Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band’s ancestors, collectively referred to by many as “Ohlone”, are the indigenous peoples of south-San Francisco and north-Monterey Bay area. We trace our ancestry and heritage through a keyhole in time when the Spanish occupied our traditional lands and held us in their missions at San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz.

Tribal Initiatives

The Amah Mutsun are stewarding Popelchom by bringing indigenous ecological knowledge back to our lands in partnership with Tribes, agencies, land managers, and research institutions. We are using science for a range of projects spread throughout the Tribe’s ancestral territory to shed light on the historical conditions of the California landscape and to better understand how cultural and biological resources can be best enhanced and protected today.


Salmon Monitoring & Habitat Restoration

Environmental Stewardship

Seasonal surveys are conducted to monitor for salmon following the removal of a 100-year old defunct dam in the redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains. Working with partners at Sempervirens Fund and UCLA, Tribal members use environmental DNA techniques to look for salmon in the water, with the hope that these endangered salmon will once again return home.


Wetland Monitoring & Restoration

Environmental Stewardship

Tribal members assist monitoring and restoration efforts to improve habitat for animals that call Elkhorn Slough home. In partnership with the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, projects include native Olympia oyster transplants, oyster monitoring, fish surveys, and weekend learning opportunities for the greater Tribal community.



Archaeological Surveys

Environmental Stewardship and Cultural Vitality

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band conducts numerous archaeological surveys at culturally-important sites along the coast, including one site that is over 7,500 years old. This research, conducted in partnership with California State Parks and UC Berkeley, is helping us restore knowledge regarding traditional coastal stewardship.


Ceremonies

Cultural Vitality

Our Tribe is restoring sacredness to the land and restoring our traditional ceremonies related to the coast.



Native Youth Stewardship Camp

Tribal Capacity Building

Summer camp reconnects Native youth (ages 10-17) to the coastal territories of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, giving kids a glimpse into the world of traditional and contemporary stewardship while building their sense of Tribal identity through activities focused on our true history, cultural re-learning, conservation, education, and fun.

Learn More & Connect With Us

The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band are of the lands known to us as Popeloutchom. These lands are home to all that we needed for millennia – and continuing to care for them is central to the Mutsun mission and identity. These lands are sacred to us, and protecting their ability to sustain future generations is central to the mission of the Tribe.

Learn More   Contact Us

Toggle Navigation