“We are Amah Mutsun, of the lands known to us as Popeloutchom. Home to our four-legged, winged, finned, and plant kin; they have provided us with all that we needed for millennia—we will care for them. Resting place of those that came before us and cradle of those yet to come, they are sacred—we will protect them.”
Our Vision
Conserve and restore indigenous cultural and natural resources within the traditional territories of indigenous Mutsun and Awaswas peoples.
Steward our lands and waters; combining traditional resource and environmental management with contemporary approaches–ensuring a resilient future for all inhabitants of Popeloutchom and fulfilling our obligation to Creator.
Research and teach the ways of nature—returning to the path of traditional ecological knowledge that our ancestors followed for thousands of years.
Our History
Our obligation and responsibility to Creator remains as it has since the beginning – to care for Popeloutchom and all beings in it. In 2005 the Amah Mutsun Tribal Council decided that it was time for our people to re-engage in the stewardship of the lands and waters that Creator put us here to protect. Our tribe began creating partnerships with public and private landowners within our traditional territory so we could restore our access to our ancestral lands for stewardship, ceremony, learning.
In 2013 we formally established the Amah Mutsun Land Trust. Sempervirens Fund, California’s oldest land trust, provided fiscal sponsorship and mentorship to our new land trust. In 2015 the Amah Mutsun Land Trust became fully incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization.
The Amah Mutsun Land Trust is the vehicle by which the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is returning to the lands, knowledge, and practices of our ancestors. With wise leadership, an active board of directors, devoted advisors, and inspired supporters, we are involved in a broad range of initiatives to protect and steward our lands and stand ready to accept the challenges and responsibilities of tribal land tenure. We are reaffirming our role as stewards of Mother Earth.
Our Stewardship
Our stewardship area stretches from Año Nuevo in the north, along the ridge-lines and west slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay, south to the Salinas River and inland to include the Pajaro and San Benito watersheds.
Looking Forward
Legacy to the generations ahead
We envision a future where our people—and all people—may once again…
drink safely from our waters – flowing clean and clear
hunt from healthy herds of elk and deer, and harvest salmon and abalone from healthy fisheries
conduct sacred ceremonies to help restore and maintain balance within ourselves and within our universe
see and pray to a healthy population of condors in our skies
witness the sky darken with geese and other waterfowl rising from our lakes
rest assured that those who have passed may rest in peace
know their connection to land because they live connected to the land
This vision of the future is not only an ambition; it is a beacon. Getting there may take generations—and so we must start now. Each step we take now toward that beacon is one less that will need to be taken by our children.