Reawakening: Reciprocity of Land, Sea, and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe

This exhibition focuses on the Muwekma Ohlone’s cultural and practical efforts in land stewardship, including cultural burns and the cultivation of native plants that provide resources for regalia making, food, and traditional healing. They are reawakening their Chochenyo language as well as dance, music, song, and ceremonies. This exhibition sheds light on the Tribe’s ongoing cultural revival after a century of erasure following the loss of, and the fight to regain, federal recognition. Two companion exhibitions developed in partnership with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, San José State University Dept. of Anthropology, and New Museum Los Gatos highlight Muwekma Ohlone cultural practices, land stewardship, and their ongoing efforts to restore their federal recognition. Muwekma Ohlone Culture and Connection in Pursuit of Recognition will be on view in the Mike & Alyce Parsons Reception Gallery from June 19, 2026, through November 29, 2026, and Reciprocity of Land, Sea, and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe will be in the Spotlight Gallery from July 17, 2026, through January 3, 2027. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.