Opening by Corrina Gould (Lisjan Ohlone), the Chair and Spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan
This talk was delivered at the 2023 Bioneers Conference.

Corrina Gould (Lisjan Ohlone), born and raised in the village of Huichin (aka Oakland, CA), is the chair and spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan and co-founder and Lead Organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change, a small Native-run organization that sponsored annual Shellmound Peace Walks from 2005 to 2009. As a tribal leader, she has continued to fight for the protection of the Shellmounds, uphold her nation’s right to sovereignty, and stand in solidarity with Indigenous relatives to protect sacred waters, mountains, and lands all over the world. Her life’s work has led to the creation of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, a women-led organization in the Bay Area that seeks to heal and transform legacies of colonization and genocide.
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California Genocide and Resilience with Corrina Gould
California Indians have survived some of the most extreme acts of genocide committed against Native Americans. In part 1 of this Indigeneity Conversations podcast, we talk about the importance of addressing that historical trauma, which caused deep wounds that still affect Indigenous Peoples today.
Returning to What Was Lost and Stolen with Corrina Gould
Defending land rights and preserving tribal culture is difficult for North American tribes, especially for those that do not have sovereign nation-to-nation status with the federal government. The lack of recognition of a tribe’s nationhood as a self-governing entity (as defined by the U.S. Constitution) has been explicitly used as a tool to continue to prevent Native peoples from living on the most desirable lands or protecting sacred lands that have been stolen. We talk about these issues in part 2 of this discussion with Corrina Gould.