We Are All Students of the Land: Reflections from the Tule Gathering Project

On Sunday, October 19th, Sycamore Grove Park became the site of a small but truly meaningful gathering. Local educators, community members, and the Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation came together to listen, learn, and connect with Muwekma Tribal Member and Culture Bearer, Joey Torres. The Tule Gathering Project, co-hosted by the Tri-Valley Native American Center (TVNAC), was created to bring community members into closer relationship with Indigenous stewardship practices and cultural history. Among those present were Candace Rho, Open Space Naturalist with Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD), and Tina Henson, Program Director of TVNAC.

Candace first reached out to Tina after hearing about TVNAC from a Jr. Ranger family. “I wanted to learn more about Indigenous Peoples and to decolonize not only myself and my language, but the workplace too,” she shared. “My goal is to become a vessel of information and to be a better educator and interpreter to the public.”

For Candace, this journey is rooted in reciprocity. She sees Sycamore Grove Park, where she works, as a place rich with natural resources that should be stewarded indigenously. “This land is a home that I am a guest to,” she said. “I want to be more knowledgeable of the house rules so I can be a respectful guest and encourage others to be respectful guests as well.”

Tina echoed this spirit of learning and humility. “Both Candace and I are newer in our positions, but we share the same drive to decolonize and educate those who will listen in our Tri-Valley area,” she said. As the Tule Gathering Project came together (previously called Tule Harvesting Project before learning from Joey the difference in language), Tina felt both excitement and nervousness. “Being from the Plains, Tule is a new resource to me. I was raised here in the Bay Area and had the opportunity to learn from Ohlone elders at Coyote Hills, but I hadn’t practiced this knowledge regularly.”

A student colleague, Isaac He, helped initiate a meeting with the Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation to share his educational platform, Unfold4all. The meeting with Jill Ammano, Bernadette Quiroz, and Alan Leventhal inspired Tina and laid the groundwork for deeper collaboration. When Jill confirmed that Joey Torres, the Tribe’s Culture Bearer, would attend the Tule event, Tina’s nervousness turned to gratitude.

Joey shows Candace and a local student books he recommends for learning more about Indigenous practices.

“Although attendance was small, the gathering gave Candace and me the best opportunity to ask our educational questions, the ones we get from students and the ones we carry ourselves,” Tina said. “Listening to Joey explain Muwekma histories opened my eyes. The information taught in our area is so surface level. There’s a lot more work to be done to get the Muwekma more access back to their original lands.”

For Tina, the connection was also personal. “Talking with Joey reminded me of his mother, Geraldine.  My grandmother used to take me to events with her, and Geraldine’s family was always so welcoming and kind.”

As Candace reflected, “To me, this type of connection means decolonizing a city park district, cultivating a cultural space to connect with nonhuman nature, and nurturing community building.” She hopes to mirror this work across both LARPD and East Bay Regional Park District in the future.

Joey and Candace observe the patch of tule that was to be gathered at a nearby property.

The Tule Gathering Project was more than an event, it was a beginning. A moment of shared learning, cultural exchange, and commitment to respectful stewardship. Together, we learned what it means to come in a good way and that, like all things, there is a right time and place.  We are grateful for Candace, Tina, and Joey for their openness, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.