We collaborate with Muwekma tribal members and allies to advance the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe's goals of resilience, cultural revitalization, community education, and efforts for access, ownership, and stewardship of ancestral lands.

we envision a future where the Muwekma people:

  • Have reestablished our sacred connection to our ancestral land and utas warep (steward the land-base where we have always been). The land has hišwee síi (clean water), clean air, healthy soil.

  • Awaken, practice, and protect our ’innu heeme (culture), noonokma (languages), yišša (dancing) on the land.

  • Honor mak muwékmakuš (our ancestors) through mak ’ukšeeree (our work)

  • Are tašukne (recognized as sovereign) and treated with dignity and ’úni (respect).

A letter from Chairwoman Charlene

Dear Friends and Supporters,

This summer, I rode 3,000 miles on horseback from San Francisco to Washington DC, carrying our ancestors' stories and demands for justice.

At every stop along our Trail of Truth, I witnessed something remarkable: when we share our story - of survival, resilience, and determination - people listen. They stand with us. They join our fight. Today, our journey for recognition and reclamation has entered an even more crucial phase.

Make your tax-deductible donation today to support MOPF in converting this momentum into permanent gains - from securing gathering spaces on ancestral lands to creating paid positions for our next generation of tribal leaders.

The Trail of Truth showed us what's possible when our people have the resources and platform to make our voices heard. Now, through our Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation (MOPF), we must convert this unprecedented visibility and support into lasting change for our people.

Who We Are

In 2021, our Tribal Council unanimously established MOPF to serve as the organizational backbone of our vision for the future. Through seed funding from Packard Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), we've already:

  • Developed a three year Strategic Plan focused on program development and capacity building

  • Conducted an in-depth Tribal Needs Assessment to inform our path forward

  • Established our 501(c)(3) status and hired key staff including our first Executive Director

  • Created comprehensive programming to share with funders and allies

  • Launched community education and cultural revitalization initiatives

Our mission is to collaborate with Muwekma tribal members and allies to advance the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe's goals of resilience, cultural revitalization, community education, and efforts for access, ownership, and stewardship of ancestral lands.

Our vision, expressed in both English and Chochenyo, our native language, remains clear:

  • Heal mak Muwékma ~ our People by connecting with and caring for our ancestral lands

  • Protect and hinnimpisin 'oyyo 'innu heeme ~ restore culture and natural resources

  • Gain and 'utas warep ~ steward the land-base where we have always been

  • Awaken cultural practices on the land through tribal gatherings and create ceremonial spaces

  • Ensure the continued 'iškaanesin mak Muwékma ~ resilience of our People

Our Growth and Momentum

As our people rode across this continent, we carried with us the strength of our recent achievements. Through seed funding from Packard Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), MOPF has built the foundation we need to amplify our voice:

  • Conducted an in-depth Tribal Needs Assessment to inform our path forward

  • Established our 501(c)(3) status and hired key staff

  • Created comprehensive programming to share with funders and allies

  • Launched community education and cultural revitalization initiatives

A History of Resilience

During our journey, I felt the weight of our history with every hoofbeat. For more than 100 years, we have been without a landbase, yet our connection to this land remains unbroken. The Trail of Truth demonstrated what our people have always known: we have never left, we have never forgotten, and we will never stop fighting for our rights and recognition.

Riding across America, I saw firsthand that when we move as one, change is possible. The passion and support we encountered has shown us exactly where to focus our energy in 2025:

  1. Put our people in charge by creating four paid positions for tribal members to lead MOPF programs and increase our board to 51% tribal representation.

  2. Bring our culture back to life by expanding traditional practices and teaching our children the Chochenyo language of our ancestors.

  3. Share our true history through expanded community education programs that build understanding and justice for our people.

  4. Secure our first land agreement for cultural gatherings and ceremonies - a crucial step toward our dream of a Tribal Village where our people can once again gather freely on ancestral lands.

Your support will help us uplift Indigenous voices in land management decisions, incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into conservation practices, and foster a more inclusive approach to environmental stewardship. This initiative is vital for advancing racial equity and environmental justice.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 by December 31st to launch these 2025 initiatives. Make your tax-deductible gift today to the Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation. Help ensure that the doors opened by our historic ride don't close - supporting vital programs in cultural revitalization, land reclamation, and community education that will benefit generations to come.


Together, we can write the next chapter in our story—one where the energy of the Trail of Truth catalyzes real change in recognition, cultural revival, and environmental stewardship. Your support helps ensure that our ride across America becomes more than a moment in time - it becomes a turning point in our people's history.

Sincerely,

Charlene Nijmeh

Chairwoman Muwekma Ohlone Tribe

President, Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation