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"After 250 years, Big Sur land finally returned to Native American tribe 'We plan on keeping this land forever'"
This is wonderful, beautiful, hard-won news and reminds me of a story.
A thread! https://www.sfgate.com/living-in-sf/article/250-years-Big-Sur-land-returned-to-tribe-15440671.php
This is wonderful, beautiful, hard-won news and reminds me of a story.
A thread! https://www.sfgate.com/living-in-sf/article/250-years-Big-Sur-land-returned-to-tribe-15440671.php
Infinity years ago, way back when we had a Black President, I helped organize a convening that was hosted at the very very very terrible and racist @esalen. The convening rented out the venue. The whole thing was a circus from the jump.
I can't even get into the laundry list of awful, racist, rude experiences with @esalen before, during and after (tho having to tell their staff multiple times not to write fake Chinese characters on the menu board def ranks high!)...
I haven't been back since and I don't plan on ever returning. The awesome part about being me is that this is not a loss. Big Sur is great but @esalen is not the end all be all. I've seen enough of the world to know there are plenty of beautiful places to explore/enjoy in peace.
But that's not the point of this thread!
Months before the convening I was doing a site visit, I asked the terrible, rude white lady showing us around if she could introduce me to the point of contact to the Nation whose land we were on.
I wanted to invite them for a blessing & welcome.
I wanted to invite them for a blessing & welcome.
It's just what you do.
I was raised right.
I was raised right.
But I'm not from here!
So I asked this terrible, rude white lady from @esalen's staff what was the name of the Nation?
And she said to me with actual words:
"There is none."
HUH?
So I asked this terrible, rude white lady from @esalen's staff what was the name of the Nation?
And she said to me with actual words:
"There is none."
HUH?
That didn't make any sense to me.
This is someone else's land.
I thought she misunderstood me so I rephrased the question:
"Can you connect me to the local indigenous community so we could receive an official welcome to the land?"
She responds:
"There isn't one."
This is someone else's land.
I thought she misunderstood me so I rephrased the question:
"Can you connect me to the local indigenous community so we could receive an official welcome to the land?"
She responds:
"There isn't one."
Ok, lady.
I do not respond well to liars.
Especially people who lie to my face.
Especially people being paid lots of money to lie to my face.
I do not respond well to liars.
Especially people who lie to my face.
Especially people being paid lots of money to lie to my face.
I made a mental note.
The site visit continued on...
The site visit continued on...
When I got back to my hotel in Monterrey, I entered into Googled (investigative journalist I am!):
Big Sur + Indigenous Nation
Big Sur + Indigenous Nation
THE VERY FIRST RESPONSE, FOLKS:
Esselen Indians of Big Sur and Monterey County
https://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/esselen.html
Esselen Indians of Big Sur and Monterey County
https://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/esselen.html
I decided to have someone on our organizing team reach out and invite a representative from the Esselen Nation directly from us and I am so grateful I did.
After a back and forth, they accepted our invitation with major trepidation. They said they respected we reached out to them directly and so they treated our invitation with respect and prayed on it. They said had this come from the Esalen Institute the answer would have said no.
They hadn't been to the Esalen Institute in five years.
I will never know all the pain and harm caused but I understand the trepidation to our invitation.
The Esalen folks are monsters.
The Esalen folks are monsters.
At some point at the beginning of the program, terrible white lady with colonist amnesia sees the blessing & welcome in the agenda and asks someone from our organizing team who is doing this piece of programming.
We tell them we invited a representative of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation.
Remember, lady? The one you said didn't exist??
Y'ALL.
THIS
IS
WHEN
SHIT.
GOT.
CRAZY.
THIS
IS
WHEN
SHIT.
GOT.
CRAZY.
The Institute DID NOT LIKE that we invited a representative of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation without clearing it through them first.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
How am I supposed to get clearance for SOMEONE YOU CLAIM DOES NOT EXIST?!
How am I supposed to get clearance for SOMEONE YOU CLAIM DOES NOT EXIST?!
Also, maybe I needed to consult my Grown Ass Adult Manual but please tell me why the hell would I need to get permission to respectfully invite and host people we actually want to hold space for from this colonist amnesia hellscape that has literally zero to do with anything?
But @Esalen was MAD.
VERY VERY MAD.
VERY VERY MAD.
WALKIE TALKIES SUDDENLY APPEARED.
They said they were considering not allowing our guests past security.
They said they were considering not allowing our guests past security.
WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE IS THAT?
I TOLD YOU THESE PEOPLE ARE MONSTERS.
I TOLD YOU THESE PEOPLE ARE MONSTERS.
Thankfully, this was a few hours before our amazing, kind, generous guests were due to arrive.
Other members of the organizing team more blessed in the talents of diplomacy worked to de-escalate the fragile, rude, racist colonist amnesia having Esalen staff freaking out that PEOPLE WHOSE LAND THIS IS would be returning to it that evening as our PERSONALLY INVITED GUESTS.
This was tasked to other people on the organizing team to de-escalate because I am self-aware enough to know that diplomacy is not my blessing.
We had rented out the entire venue.
I will invite whoever I damn well please.
I will invite whoever I damn well please.
When I observed this rude terrible colonist amnesia-having white lady's response I just stared at her blinking silently.
Finally I said:
"Ok. I would like our $140,000 back now please."
Finally I said:
"Ok. I would like our $140,000 back now please."
If you aren't going to allow our personally invited guests to enter the venue WE ARE PAYING FOR then why should you get any of our money?
You rude hos.
You rude hos.
WHO RAISED YOU?
I don't know exactly how this got resolved but I recall it involved a "compromise" with terrible rude colonist amnesia lady writing a letter and leaving it at security for our invited guests from the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation.
Our guest, the Tribal Councilwoman arrived without incident and I am furious even now recalling this WILD STORY that her care and safety was ever in question in the first place. No one, especially PERSONALLY INVITED GUESTS, should ever be treated or regarded like that.
She spoke to our community for about an hour, gave an official blessing and welcome and really focused her remarks to challenge us to fight to protect our culture and to heal ourselves for ourselves and for our ancestors.
I am grateful for the grace she generously delivered to us and I will never forget the care she shared as she challenged us to lead and heal.
"Weâre the original stewards of the land. Now weâre returned."
So happiness for this news and acknowledging the pain that this even has to be news in the first place. /FIN https://www.sfgate.com/living-in-sf/article/250-years-Big-Sur-land-returned-to-tribe-15440671.php
So happiness for this news and acknowledging the pain that this even has to be news in the first place. /FIN https://www.sfgate.com/living-in-sf/article/250-years-Big-Sur-land-returned-to-tribe-15440671.php
