Ramaytush Ohlone Land Acknowledgement Resolution

[San Francisco Commission on the Environment Resolution on Ramaytush Ohlone Land Acknowledgement] 

WHEREAS, The San Francisco Commission on the Environment (COE) acknowledges that the Ramaytush Ohlone are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula; and 

WHEREAS, The COE acknowledges that the area comprising the City and County of San Francisco was originally inhabited by the Yelamu, an independent tribe of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples; and 

WHEREAS, The COE acknowledges that the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone has actively worked to research, expand public awareness of, and preserve Ohlone history and culture; and  

WHEREAS, The COE acknowledges that the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples have survived the brutalities of colonialism, enslavement, genocide, discrimination, racism, gender-based violence, theft, forced assimilation, and other atrocities driven by local, federal, and global governments; and 

WHEREAS, The COE acknowledges that environmental degradation is caused by colonization, and that Ramaytush Ohlone peoples as original caretakers of Yelamu have maintained balance with nature for millennia; and 

WHEREAS, The COE acknowledges that early environmentalists and conservationists were part of efforts to forcibly remove people, and deny indigenous wisdom, traditional ecological knowledge, and Indigenous practices, and rights to the land; and 

WHEREAS, The COE acknowledges that Ramaytush Ohlone peoples are not a mythical population of the past, but an integral and active community in the present San Francisco Bay Area region, and beyond, whose ongoing exclusion and invisibility denied the greater Native American community’s inclusion and respect in San Francisco; and 

WHEREAS, The COE acknowledges that the City and County of San Francisco was founded on unceded territory, and that the existence of the City and County on this land continues to contribute to the erasure and exclusion of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples; and  

WHEREAS, To acknowledge the truth of the lands and peoples history is a human right and a demonstration of honor and respect for the contributions and sacrifices of the Ramaytush Ohlone ancestors that inhabit and care for this land before us; now, therefore, be it 

RESOLVED, From this date forward, the San Francisco Commission on the Environment will state the following land acknowledgement at the beginning of each Commission meeting: 

The Commission on the Environment acknowledges that we occupy the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. We recognize that the Ramaytush Ohlone understand the interconnectedness of all things and have maintained harmony with nature for millennia. We honor the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples for their enduring commitment to wahrep, mother earth. As the indigenous protectors of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytush Ohlone have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. We recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. As uninvited guests, we affirm their sovereign rights as First Peoples and wish to pay our respects to the Ancestors, Elders and Relatives of the Ramaytush Community. As environmentalists, we recognize that we must embrace indigenous knowledge in how we care for San Francisco and all its people; and, be it 

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an adapted version of this acknowledgement will also be read at the beginning of Operations and Policy Committee meetings of the COE; and, be it 

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the COE instructs the Department to develop a protocol for when or how this might be implemented at Department meetings and events; and, be it 

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the COE’s land acknowledgement is just the first step needed in acknowledging and honoring the land, culture, wisdom, and contributions of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples throughout the San Francisco Bay Area; and, be it 

FURTHER RESOLVED, The COE will establish a relationship with the Ramaytush Ohlone by engaging in a meaningful tribal consultation process to understand their unique needs, concerns, and knowledge as the original caretakers of Yelamu; and, be it  

FURTHER RESOLVED, The COE will engage with San Francisco’s American Indian Cultural District and other American Indian stakeholders to elevate American Indian traditional ecological knowledge, concerns and expertise; and, be it 

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the COE urges all boards and commissions in the City and County of San Francisco to begin each meeting with the above land acknowledgment, which was approved by the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone. 

I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted at the Commission on the Environment’s meeting on February 1, 2021.