The past is not a separate event that has concluded, but a layering of time that shapes the present moment. The land I live and write on is LisjanMuwekma Ohlone land, according to the Native Lands map. The Indigenous people here have been stewards of this region for countless generations, and are vital to the land and community.
Though colonizers stole this territory and decimated its population at multiple points, the Indigenous people refused to be erased. They are still here, revitalizing and thriving.
As an uninvited guest on this land, my presence is a continuation of colonialism and settler legacy. I am still early in my learning of this history and the wounds it has left. The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust has been a vital educational resource, as has the work of Indigenous writers. We cannot undo the past, but small steps toward healing can be taken in the forms of rematriating the land and paying Shuumi.
