The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, a federally unrecognized tribe comprised of the descendants of the indigenous peoples who survived missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz in California, have a policy that they do not accept apologies. In their analysis, apologies tend to be rather meaningless and can curtail a deeper engagement with difficult historical truths. Nevertheless, the tribe is hoping that the apology offered by Governor Newsom in June 2019 will take a different course.
When Governor Newsom apologized, he also called for a Truth and Healing Council to be established. In an Oct. 31 letter to Newsom, Amah Mutsun Chairman Valentin Lopez outlined the tribe’s recommendations to the State of California, presenting criteria that would need to be met in order for the tribe to consider Newsom’s apology to be meaningful.
“We believe there can be no effective change in how the State of California acts toward its Native population going forward, without accounting for the whole truth of what happened to the Native peoples of California, and specifically, understanding how the harms of the past continue to impact us today,” states Chairman Lopez.
Lopez asserts that the State of California must make a full accounting of its crimes and offenses, which include support for the enslavement of California Indians, state-sponsored killings, and attempted genocide.
Since 2009, the Amah Mutsun tribe has held bimonthly Wellness Meetings with tribal members, co-facilitated by a psychiatrist and two psychologists who are experts in addressing issues resulting from historic trauma. These Wellness Meetings have led to many revelations and insights into the individual and collective process of healing from the traumas associated with colonial violence.
In the tribe’s letter to Governor Newsom, Lopez identified what the tribe considers to be cornerstones of the healing process, which include:
- Tribal members must have the opportunity to tell their stories about how the legacy of colonial violence and dispossession has impacted them,
- The State must tell the full truth about California Indian history,
- Perpetrators must also heal—healthy relationships require that each partner is healthy, which is only possible when steps are taken to acknowledge and heal from historic trauma, and
- Action must be taken to prevent past and current harms from continuing into the future.
“Examples of specific actions we have discussed at our Wellness Meetings to address historic trauma include the removal of statues and symbols that honor the brutal destruction of Native Americans in California,” Lopez states. “We also recognize the importance of removing the names of persons who committed atrocities against Native Americans from public facilities such as freeways, cities, parks, and schools.”
The Amah Mutsun encourage the re-application of indigenous place names and stories to public locations.
When it comes to preventing continuing harm, the Amah Mutsun note that cultural resource protection laws in California are overall grossly inadequate and must be strengthened to allow tribes to prevent the continued desecration of burial grounds and cultural sites. “The State of California must take more significant steps to protect all remaining California Indian cultural and sacred sites from destruction,” Chairman Lopez states.
The Amah Mutsun also point out that the historic and continuing dispossession of the indigenous peoples of California from their ancestral lands must be rectified if any genuine healing process is to occur. Because the State of California bears a large share of responsibility for the historic dispossession of indigenous peoples, so should the State shoulder the responsibility to create pathways towards the restoration of land, stewardship rights, and resources to the tribes within their traditional territories.
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has extended an invitation to Governor Newsom to meet for further discussion. The Amah Mutsun have also requested a seat at the Truth and Healing Council, and have expressed concern about the potential underrepresentation of federally unrecognized tribes on the council.
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is comprised of descendants of the indigenous peoples taken to missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz.
•••
For more info: http://amahmutsun.org