Ohlone Tule Boat Revitalization Project

ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN:

Although the Ohlone people are often listed as extinct in California History books, today there are over 2,000 active members of the Costanoan Rumsen Tribe of Ohlone living in Southern California. We are currently trying to bring our Culture back to our Ancestral Lands in Central California Coastal Region and raise awareness about our Tribe's History. We are asking for your support to build traditional Ohlone tule boats for a ceremonial boat launch events San Francisco Bay and Monterey CA. These boats will be part of the festivities surrounding the historic 34th America's Cup Race in 2013.

Funds will be used for:

• Travel for tribal members to collect the Tule reeds to build the boats

• Bring 75 of our tribal people from Southern to Northern California to participate in the Ohlone Tule Boat Launch and Ceremony in Monterey and San Francisco.

ABOUT OUR TRIBE:

We, the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe, are an Ohlone Nation of people whose ancestral lands range from the San Francisco Bay to Point Sur and from the Sierra Nevadas in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west.

Due to the political climate and lack of jobs in the Bay area, our early tribal ancestors relocated to Southern California area in the early 1860’s. And as a result of un-ratified treaties, our ancestors were left without territory of their own, resulting in widespread dispersal of community members. Over the years, this trend has been amplified by a continued lack of federal recognition.

In 1995, tribal leaders founded the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe organization, a recognized 501 (c) 3 group, in order to pursue federal recognition and provide a much needed community center to restore cultural roots and unite community members who are dispersed across Inland Valley and High Desert regions of Southern California.

The Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe (CRCT), located in Pomona, California, is active within the community and provides free services and activities to both tribal and non-tribal members in the areas of health, cultural programs and education. Through our programs, we seek to provide the general public with an understanding of the historical and ongoing contributions and significance of the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel and other California Indian Tribes. Through the celebration of Rumsen culture, we give future generations a sense of purpose and belonging.