The Ramaytush Ohlone


​The Ramaytush (pronounced rah-my-toosh) are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the Ramaytush Ohlone numbered approximately 1500 persons, but by the end the Mission Period only a few families had survived. Today, only one lineage is know to have produced living descendants in the present. Those descendants comprise the membership of the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) today. ​

Highlight

American Indian Law

Dr. Jonathan Cordero, Executive Director of the ARO has been invited to co-teach a class at UC Hastings College of Law with Professor Jo Carrillo that focuses upon the underlying ideologies and structures that inform American Indian law as it relates to land/property. Special emphasis will be placed on unrecognized tribes in California. The course will culminate in the creation of a living land acknowledgement at UC Hastings--it will be the first of its kind at a law school in the United States. 

First Flush

San Mateo County Resource Conservation District (RCD)

The RCD is seeking volunteers for the First Flush program, our biggest annual water quality event. For the uninitiated, First Flush is the first significant rain of the season, when pollutants that have accumulated across the landscape during the dry season wash off the land enter storm drains and creeks and flow into the ocean. We are looking for adventurous volunteers to be a scientist for the day to help ensure clean creeks, beaches, and oceans. Tasks include collecting water samples and recording data at sites from Pacifica to Half Moon Bay. The samples will be evaluated for bacteria, metals, and nutrients, which negatively impact humans and wildlife.
 
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Although we are in drought, if we receive rains, they will likely arrive in November or December. This is a one-time volunteer event that will have a positive and long-term impact in our community. No experience necessary. Training provided. Be a Scientist for a day, Water Warrior for a lifetime!
 
TRAINING MEETING DETAILS:
Wednesday October 6th, 2021 at 6:30 PM
To register click HERE

New Update on the Removal of Statues

2021
20 September. Soon the leadership of the ARO will meet with several Directors at CalTrans to request immediate  action on the removal of the statues.  

After determining that  the State Department of Transportation (CalTrans) has jurisdiction over the Serra statue along I280 and the Portola Statue in Pacifica, the ARO has been patiently waiting for CalTrans to put in place an infrastucture and process to manage complaints like this from groups like ours. While we hope that the statues will be taken down soon, the real victory is the establishment of the aforementioned changes in the structure of the State for future similar claims, like the CalTrans Office of Race and Equity. 

Aramai Point!

2021
18 September. The point between Mori Point and Pedro Point in Pacifica, just south of Rockaway Beach, has been successfully named Aramai Point in honor of our ancestral tribe of origin. The ARO is extremely grateful to Mark Hubbel, Alicia Escott, Gretchen Wengenroth, Jennifer Runyon, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, and many others for their hard work! We are extremely grateful.

Recent News and Events

Recent News and Events

Sep 2021
Gregg Castro is participating in the Dolores Park History Day event at Mission Dolores Park where he will share about Ramaytush Ohlone History and Culture.
Sep 2021
Along with three other artists and experts, Jonathan gave a presentation for SF MoMA on Diego Rivera's Pan American Unity mural, which is located at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Aug 2021
As part of their series, "Virtual Wednesdays: Going Beyond Land Acknowledgement," coordinated with the ARO and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Jonathan and Gregg gave a presentation entitled, "We are OF the Land." You can find it here. 
Jul 2021
On July first the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone hosted a ceremony and reading of the Exploratorium's Land Acknowledgment at their reopening.
May 2021
Gregg and Jonathan held an online conversation with the public entitled, "Living on Ramaytush Ohlone Land," that was sponsored by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). 
April 2021
Jonathan Cordero consulted on a set of interpretive panels for the National Park Service at Lands End and Fort Funston.