Coast Miwok's opportunity to create `balance'

The Coast Miwok Tribal Council of Marin calls it “a rematriation.”

It's a return of tribal lands lost in the confiscation and turnover of over 150 years of governmental control over properties.

In the case of the Coast Miwok, who once had settlements across the county, the 26 acres of Nicasio the council has purchased is a small slice of the land it called home for centuries.

After a quick, but successful fundraising drive, the council raised enough to complete the $1.3 million purchase from Peter and Nicole Mollison, who were intent on selling the land to the council.

The helping hand — two $200,000 contributions, as well as many more from private parties, foundations and organizations — raised enough that it will also help the council make cultural improvements, such as building a sweat lodge and a roundhouse in which to hold ceremonies.

For many years, the council had held those ceremonies at the Kule Loklo, a reconstructed Miwok village in Point Reyes National Seashore. But that site is awaiting longpromised repairs.

The announcement on the council's website made it clear the group is not interested in building a casino, as other tribes have done, including the Graton Rancheria, a federation of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo groups that won federal recognition in 2000.

The land is part of the 80,000 acres granted to the tribe in the 1830s, but over time and oppressive policies by Spanish, Mexican and U.S. authorities, it's been lost, acre by acre.

The property is located near the location of one of the last known Coast Miwok settlements, `Etcha Tamal.

For the council, it's a big step.

Its leadership has expressed frustration that it has been passed over by Graton Rancheria in some decisions requiring consultation with local tribes on land-management plans.

Many smaller tribes, including the Coast Miwok, across the United States lost federal recognition and land rights in 1958. In 2000, Graton Rancheria successfully petitioned to have that recognition, including the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo, restored.

The council has said its goal for the land — instead of building housing or a casino — is “to help keep things in balance,” as was the practice of generations of their ancestors.

Having its own place and buildings in which to hold cultural and educational programs and events, together with public advocacy, are ways to help make sure the council's sentiments are included.

Joe Sanchez, one of the council's elders, said the acquisition is the first land buyback in Marin. “This is our native land. This is like returning home,” he told the Point Reyes Light.

Other tribes around the Bay Area have also reacquired lost land. Such acquisitions have taken place in Oakland, San Pablo and parts of Sonoma County.

The Coast Miwok homecoming garnered a lot of support, putting the land back into the hands of the tribe that, for centuries, called it home.

The Coast Miwok are an important piece of Marin's history.

Now, the council has the opportunity to establish the site as a center for cultural celebration and revival and a place to gather to showcase how the Miwok treated its land and is respectful of nature.