Letter from Chairman Lopez, AMLT Board President

Dear Friends,

One of the most important priorities of our Tribe is to ensure our youth understand the directive given to us in our Creation Story; it is our responsibility to take care of Mother Earth and all living things. Besides talking about these obligations at our tribal wellness meeting and at many of our tribal gatherings, we have looked for other ways to support the integration and expansion of young tribal members becoming more involved with the organization and the important work we are doing. We see them start off perhaps attending the AMLT yearly Summer Camp, for ages 5-17 where they camp for one to two weeks and are immersed in learning about their culture, conservation, Indigenous science, research, and lots of exploration and play. After that, we hope they progress to the yearly Summer Internship Program, which is for ages 16 and up and lasts for 5-6 weeks. There, they work alongside our Native Stewards and become more knowledgeable about Amah Mutsun culture while learning traditional stewardship and restoring sacredness to the land. Through the Internship Program they can get a sense of the various projects areas (both type of work and geographical areas) that the land trust is doing and learn the relevance of revitalization work within our traditional territory.

At both Summer Camp and the Internship Program we hold traditional talking circles to teach the histories, relationships and responsibilities of being Mutsun. Some of our members grew up without knowing who they are. Not having our identity was a major impact of historic trauma. Since we started addressing our identity and knowing what our responsibilities are, we have been able to develop a relationship with our ancestors and our lands. We know that our ancestors were not just hunters and gatherers, they were very intentional land stewards and scientists. Our ancestors effectively learned how to take care of Mother Earth to provide for the needs of all our non-human relatives, and learned how to define wealth and riches in terms of intrinsic relationships. These are relationships with plants, fish, animals, the moon and sun, and most importantly Creator. A person who had those relationships was wealthy. Wealth is Indigenous knowledge - how to take care of plants, use fire for ceremony and to manage landscapes, and how to maintain and sustain the important harvesting techniques that ensured adequate resources for future generations. Wealth is recognizing the importance of having knowledge to steward natural systems such as mountain meadows, which could hold as much water as reservoirs do today. As well, these meadows would provide plant and cultural resources for our ancestors, and offer food for our animal relatives. We consider this knowledge not only wealth but also Indigenous science. For our people, our definition of evidence-based science means that a solution will last seven generations. Contemporary science is what created fossil fuels and herbicides. Only two generations later and we are already paying a price for that approach to science. The ways our ancestors managed our landscapes could last for thousands of years. That is why when we teach our youth, we emphasize Indigenous science and do not rely solely on contemporary science.

Our programs also emphasize relationships. By restoring relationships and identity you can restore self esteem to help youth make decisions that benefit themselves. During our talking circles we introduce our youth to the scholars of our Tribe, which includes many of their Tribal cousins who set an example and create a support system for them. These are older Tribal members who went to college and got their degrees and now work to revitalize the knowledge of our ancestors. Some are scientists, archaeologists, lawyers, and many other professions as well. At the youth camp, campers under 12 years old are required to bring their parents, grandparents, or other adults as chaperones. These adults themselves participate in the educational programming and learn side by side with the campers. We do not turn away people based on age. For example, at the Internship Program, one person who participated this year was 52 years old. We hire and welcome them all because this is tremendously important for the future of the Tribe. Having these relationships and understanding will allow them to continue the path of our ancestors and understand their obligation to Creator.

For youth and young adults who wish to continue working with the land trust, we offer a two year program where they can work with the Native Stewardship Program. This includes stewardship work of fire, cultural resource management and protection, plant propagation, and ocean and coastal stewardship. All Tribal members are encouraged to work with our Native Stewardship Program. Following these two years of involvement in each of these programs, we will encourage them to identify an area to specialize in. From there, they can choose to work within one of the specialties within the Amah Mutsun Land Trust, or go to college and learn about these specific academic areas. We hope they will return to work with us again when they complete their studies.

Our summer programs are not just recreational programs - they are intensive learning programs. Of course, there is still fun and games! There is intentional design and curriculum as well. This helps build close Tribal relationships and teaches our members about our Tribal obligations. We welcome all Tribal members to join us each summer to learn the histories, culture, and the science of our ancestors.

Saaremi – (with my prayers)

Valentin Lopez

Chair, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

President, Amah Mutsun Land Trust

Read more about this year’s Youth Stewardship Summer Camp.

Read more about our 2024 Summer Intern Program.