In Oakland, California, Indigenous women have established the Sogorea Te Land Trust in order to buy back stolen Indigenous territory. Led by Corrina Gould and Johnella LaRose, the Land Trust is a chance for Indigenous groups to undo, at least in part, centuries of cultural erasure. From Spanish Missions to the Gold Rush, native Californians have endured centuries of illegal land grabs and treaties that failed to recognize tribes. The idea for the Land Trust began seven years ago when a piece of waterfront on the Carquinez Strait was slated for development. Indigenous groups occupied the land and were able to successfully block contractors, but a lack of legal mechanisms to collectively own property made it impossible for them to claim the land for themselves. They decided to establish the women-led Trust with the hope that one day they would have blocks of land on which they could pray, dance, and create shared cultural space to reconnect with the land. Photo credit: Brian Feulner, Special To The Chronical
