Muwekma Ohlone Tribe perspectives open the 2025-2026 Community Lecture Series
January 7, 2026
The Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) Community Lecture Series opened the academic year 2025-2026 with two inspiring women from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. These speakers provided precious learning opportunities toward implementation of “two-eyed seeing” in research and education at the preserve, with initiatives co-created in partnership with the Tribe on their ancestral land. Two-eyed seeing is the concept articulated by Murdena and Albert Marshall, Mi’kmaw Elders, as an approach that values both Indigenous and Western sciences (Bartlett et al. 2012). This multicultural approach can guide our research and education towards a deeper understanding of nature. As a preserve in an urban setting, 'Ootchamin 'Ooyakma is positioned to make a unique contribution to new ways of balancing numerous human demands towards stewardship of the land via two-eyed seeing.
Thus, it was fitting to have Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area for the opening lecture of our series. Held on November 11, 2025, over 120 people were in attendance, representing a broad spectrum of students, faculty, researchers, docents, staff, alumni, and many from across the Bay Area. Faculty Director Tadashi Fukami welcomed the audience and shared a message from Stanford President Jon Levin that recognized Chairwoman Nijmeh's leadership and championing of the long-standing partnership between Stanford University and the Tribe. Michael Wilcox, Senior Lecturer of Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, then introduced the Chairwoman. He remarked that we at Stanford have a lot to learn from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and other Indigenous communities on their legacy stewarding the Bay Area that spans millennia.
Figure 1. The audience enters the room as they prepare to listen to Chairwoman Nijmeh’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) Community Lecture Series presentation on November 11, 2025. Photo by staff.
In her presentation, Chairwoman Nijmeh shared the story of the Tribe’s Trail of Truth, their journey to reclaim the Tribe’s federal recognition status, preserve cultural heritage, and honor the resilience of the Muwekma Ohlone people. In practice, this commitment to cultural restoration and sovereignty involves addressing political erasure and systemic injustice, and initiatives to revitalize traditions, community, and language. The Q&A that followed covered numerous questions and messages of support from community members, including Indigenous students. Other members of the Tribe in attendance and invited by the Chairwoman contributed to the discussion.
Bernadette Quiroz, the Language Revitalization Chair for the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, followed this event one week later, on November 18, 2025, to share her work to develop Chochenyo learning programs and resources for tribal members. Chochenyo is one of the local Ohlone languages. In her presentation, Bernadette led with a description of the biodiversity that existed in the Bay Area before European contact, and the role and responsibility that the ancestral Muwekma Ohlone had within that ecosystem. She traced the complex geography, influences, and post-contact documentation of Chochenyo, including sound recordings with low, guttural sounds that evoke the ocean and natural setting of her people. Bernadette’s passion for developing engaging curriculum was clear as she described the online modules, activities, and workbooks she has developed to teach and engage with Chochenyo. She led the audience through the lexicon and pronunciation for Chochenyo greetings. In the Q&A, Bernadette echoed Charlene on the importance of gaining federal recognition. She said that much of their material culture, including language recordings, is housed at UC Berkeley and is currently inaccessible to the Tribe. She added that federal recognition and access would greatly advance the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s cultural and language revitalization.
Recordings of both sessions are now available to view:
“The Trail of Truth Continues”
Charlene Nijmeh, Tribal Chairwoman, Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
Please note that viewer’s discretion is advised for a brief video of violent content at around 29:00-30:00 of this recording.
“Chochenyo: A Language Reawakened”
Bernadette Quiroz, Language Revitalization Chair, Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area
Authors:
Katie Glover, Associate Director of Environmental Education, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma)
Tadashi Fukami, Faculty Director, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma), and Professor of Biology and Earth System Science