The AMLT Native Stewardship Corps in 2019.
Dear Friends,
I’m happy to report that Amah Mutsun Land Trust will be adding six to eight new Native Stewards to our staff starting in February! They will be joining our Native Stewardships Corps program which also begins again this Spring. This will increase our capacity to continue working on our cultural burning program, plant propagation program, ocean and coastal program, cultural resource program and more. We are excited to reinstate our stewardship program and proud to welcome these new Native Stewards.
I’d like to share a little background on our Native Stewardship Corps program. In 2015 Amah Mutsun Land Trust began our first Native Stewardship Corps field work in Gilroy. We had eight stewards who are all Tribal members sign up for the work project which lasted for two weeks. This job was at the Cañada De Los Osos Ecological Reserve of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Our stewards worked hard and were quite fit for the physical labor. Yet as the work started, we immediately realized that we faced a significant challenge. Our stewards – who all experience generations of historic trauma from colonization, state-sanctioned genocide, dispossession of our land and culture, and poverty – were coming to the work site with inappropriate language and actions.
The vision for our land trust was to return our Tribal members to our traditional tribal territory so we could fulfill our obligation to take care of Mother Earth and all living things. We wanted our Native Stewards to be well and to be on the path of healing and reconnection. We wanted the partners and supporters of our land trust to have faith in our vision and work. As we thought of how to correct this issue, we decided to hold a wellness meeting and invited our Elders to attend.
At this meeting the Elders talked to our stewards and reminded them of our traditional native values and tribal expectations. They also reminded the stewards that they represent our whole tribe and that they needed to always present themselves in a way that honored our culture. The stewards listened carefully and said they understood and would do better. Following this our Elders started naming the expectations and values that our stewards were expected to follow. After each quality was mentioned we talked about what it meant and why it was important. Throughout the meeting, the stewards added qualities that they felt should be on the list. I thought it was significant that the stewards started adding to the list. It showed that they were truly listening and they understood what qualities and values were needed for the success of our program and for how they needed to live their lives.
In the end, the list consisted of 38 different qualities that our Elders ask of our stewards. The list included honesty, leading a clean and sober life, respecting Mother Earth and all people, remembering to pray and make offerings, and many other qualities. We look forward to welcoming our new stewards in February. They will represent all Mutsun ancestors, all current tribal members and all future descendants. We pray for their success.
Saaremi – (with my prayers)
Valentin Lopez
Chair, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
President, Amah Mutsun Land Trust