MISREPRESENTATION

Today, March 18, 2002 Rosemary Cambra the Muwekma Tribal Chief, Espanola Jackson the Muwekma Spokesperson and Liaison for San Francisco and I went to attend a meeting called by the San Francisco Transportation Authority and Caltrans.

This meeting was termed a "Cultural Resources Meeting Regarding the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Doyle Drive Project: Archaeology".

As usual at such meetings you have a cast of characters all White folks pretending to address Archeological Issues about which they know next to nothing. Or some little tit bits from some biased text books mostly written at a time when to be Native American was not kosher!

It is important to note that Native American archeological concerns cannot be addressed by anyone White or Blue following some regulatory guidelines that have no soul and which do not address the historical and traditional concerns of the Native Americans.

It should be stated categorically that the Native Americans - in this case the Ohlone - and in the strictest sense today the Muwekma Ohlone - were and are on the Presidio of San Francisco as its patrimonial residents forever. Others who ever they may be are strangers and they should following universal protocol and international decency recognize this fact. It is all about respect.

As usual you had one individual after another representing the Doyle Drive Project try to say something but really it was about nothing at all. Diatribe!

Right now there are 6 proposals to accommodate Doyle Drive once it comes down. They say that Doyle Drive is over 60 years old!

My concern is that all archeological issues on the Presidio are well researched and that qualified information and documentation become part of the Doyle Drive documentation so that a fair assessment is made to accommodate the new Doyle Drive.

It is a fact that when the Army was there - the Army was fully cognizant of several Shellmounds which the Muwekma Ohlone and men and women of good faith - call Sacred Burial Grounds. The Army was fair is following the guidelines when they found Native American remains.

I will state the National Park Service far from protecting and preserving archeological artifacts - have not been fair to the Muwekma Ohlone. They destroyed a Shellmound on Crissy Field. Have been playing games with the Muwekma Ohlone who are the only tribe that has patrimonial jurisdiction over the Presidio of San Francisco. The NPS and now the Doyle Drive authorities are playing with fire - they are buying and paying other Native Americans to do their dirty work.

I heard speaker after speaker call Shellmounds - middens. Brush aside that in all the so called non-focused archeologically findings, state again and again, that there was really no archeological site that is worth focusing on or pondering over. I was shocked when one so called expert took pointers from one or two documents provided him by the National Park Service (NPS) and tried to brush aside any significance of one well known archeological site.

I request the authorities to respect the Sacred Burial grounds.



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