First Nation Monuments & Funerary Places of the SF Bay

Perry Matlock, archivist for the group Sacred Sites Protection & Rights of Indigenous Tribes, speaks about the local Native American village sites and sacred cemeteries commonly called "shellmounds," which are thousands of years old, often contain human burials and have unique value for the tribes' living descendants and as cultural resources of California.

600 sites once ringed San Francisco Bay, including one of the world's largest: the Emeryville mound covered 19 acres and was up to 60 feet tall. Tragically, through waves of Spanish, Mexican and American settlement and a 'Gold Rush' mentality that continues today, most have been been desecrated, bulldozed and built upon. In a cruel irony, just as local First People work towards a cultural revival, the lack of Federal recognition and rights as tribes holds them back, and they have no guarantees of ownership or access to the sacred lands and heritage of their ancestors.

Perry will emphasize the double standards and controversies surrounding these places, along with today's struggles to save what remains and right the wrongs done to people, cultures and lands. Join us for an informative and provocative Native Heritage Month program at Sunset Library.

Experience "First Person", the Native heritage month of events - this November at SF Public Libraries!

Info: https://sfpl.org/FirstPerson
https://sfpl.org/