Category: history
Sainthood for Founder of California Missions Angers Native American Groups
Members of several Native American groups gathered on Easter Sunday at the historic Carmel Mission to protest the proposed canonization of Franciscan priest Junipero Serra, who is buried there. The gathering sought to honor their ancestors who were also buried at the mission nearly 250 years ago after being stripped of their kinship ties, culture Read more…
Letter from Mary Valdemar Opposing Serra Sainthood
“Although I believe that much good work is done within the church, today I am here as one of many Catholics who oppose the canonization of Serra,” Mary Valdmar, co founder of Chicano Indigenous Community for Culturally Conscious Advocacy and Action (ChICCCAA) told a Santa Barbara gathering in May, 2015.
Radio KPFA’s Visionary Activist Show
The July 23 program features Valentin Lopez of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, and authors Matthew Fox and Elias Castillo discussing their opposition to plans to canonize Junipero Serra. (Audio)
Letter to Gov. Jerry Brown Regarding Serra Canonization
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman Valentin Lopez has asked Gov. Jerry Brown to join the tribe in opposing the canonization of Junipero Serra. The request was made in a letter delivered to the Governor’s Office July 17, 2015.Letter to Gov Brown re Serra
Sign the Petition Opposing Serra Canonization
Thousands already have signed a petition urging Pope Francis not to canonize Junipero Serra. We have until his Sept. 22 visit to the United States to send our message to the Pope.
Native American Holocaust Exterminate Them! The California Story
This powerful video, written and edited by Floyd Red Crow Westerman, documents the forces that destroyed Indian cultures in California: The Mission Period, the California Gold Rush, and the following flood of settlers determined that manifest destinty gave them to right to lands that had been tended by native peoples for clenturies. (video)
Demanding the pope’s attention
San Jose Mercury News, July 12, 2015 By Tracy Seipel Several hundred people gathered at Mission San Juan Bautista July 11 calling for the Vatican to halt it’s plans to canonize Junipero Serra, founder of the California Missions. “The true history of what happened here has never been told,” said Valentin Lopez, chairman of the Read more…
Author Shatters the Image of California’s Missions
In a presentation to the San Francisco Commonwealth Club, Author Elias Castillo refutes the myth that the 21 Franciscan missions in California were idyllic sites where Franciscan padres and Native Americans lovingly commingled. In reality, the missions were death camps in which the Catholic missionaries, guided by mission founder Junípero Serra’s direction that the “savage” Read more…
How the Hummingbird Got Fire
Mount Umunhum gets its name from the Ohlone word for “resting place of the hummingbird.” Hummingbird is a central figure in the Ohlone creation story and an important part of their culture. Valentin Lopez, Chairman of the Amah-Mutsun Ohlone tribal band, reads the legend of how Hummingbird got fire from the Badger People. KQED Qwest Read more…
Return to Mt.Umunhum
The Amah Mutsun Land Trust is cooperating with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in the planning fo and initiation of landscape restoration and traditional management at Mount Umunhum in the Coastal Range of Santa Clara County, CA. The peak, to which public access is currently being restored, is a sacred site to the Amah Read more…
Respuesta de Amah Mutsun a la Encíclica de la Iglesia Católica con relación al Medio Ambiente
1ero. de Julio del 2015 Su Santidad Papa Francis Casa de Marta Ciudad del Vaticano, Roma 00120 Italia Re: Respuesta de Amah Mutsun a la Encíclica de la Iglesia Católica con relación al Medio Ambiente. Su Santidad, Papa Francis, Mi nombre es Valentin Lopez y soy el presidente de la Banda Tribal Amah Mutsun. Read more…
Historic Trauma is Real, Valentin Lopez Tells a Symposium at UC Riverside (Video)
Valentin Lopez, chairman of the Amah Mutsun Band, argued against canonizing Junipero Serra at a symposium at UC Riverside on March 13, 2015. “Historic trauma is real and it ties back to mission times,” he said.
Letter to Pope Francis regarding the Encyclical July 1, 2015
Letter-to-Pope-Francis-re-Encyclical-1 July 2015 The Amah Mutsun’s Response supporting the Catholic Church Encyclical on the Environment and reiterating the request that the Pope reverse his decision to canonize Junipero Serra. Respuesta de Amah Mutsun a la Encíclica de la Iglesia Católica con relación al Medio Ambiente (en Español)
Letter to the Pope from Donna Schindler, April 24, 2014
April 25, 2014 Your Holiness, Pope Francis It was with great pleasure that we received your letter of Oct 19, 2013. As a sign of our gratitude, we are sending you a t-shirt of the Amah Mutsen tribe and a necklace of abalone in a traditional Mutsen design, which Val Lopez has made for Read more…
Letter to Pope Francis from Donna Schindler March 15, 2015
Pope Francis Vatican City March 12, 2015 Your Holiness, After two centuries of struggling to heal since being enslaved by Franciscan priests, California mission tribes will be hit with another damaging blow: the upcoming canonization of Junipero Serra. As the founder of the California missions, Fr. Serra is responsible for a legacy of cruelty to Read more…
Testimony at the The United Nations United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Valentin Lopez, Chairman, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Speech Delivered to The United Nations United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: Intervention April 23, 2014 New York City miSmin Tuuhis, kan-raakat Valentin Lopez, tumsan-ak kannis riccami makke nii. Dear distinguished members of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, my name is Valentin Read more…
Mass Reconciliation Video
A Mass of Reconciliation for the Historic Amah Mutsun Tribal Band was held Dec. 22, 2012 by Bishop Richard Garcia of the Monterey Diocese to apologize for the tragic events which occurred during Mission times. A video and news story are available:
Historic Mass of Reconciliation: Mission San Juan Bautista
For Immediate Release: December 11, 2012 Historic Mass of Reconciliation Mission San Juan Bautista December 22, 2012 On December 22, 2012, Bishop Richard Garcia of the Monterey Diocese will offer a Mass of Reconciliation for the Historic Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. This mass is an important event in the history of the Amah Mutsun Read more…
Amah Mutsun Info Sheet
view Amah Mutsun info sheet PDF Who we are The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band are the living descendents of Mutsun and Awaswas-speaking peoples who have continually occupied the greater Monterey Bay Region, thriving for thousands of years and countless generations prior to European contact. Our Modern Government was organized in 1990 with the drafting of Read more…
Letter to Patrick R. Donahue: mission carmel stamp
Patrick R. Donahue U.S. Post Master General c.o Consumer Affairs United States Postal Service 201 13TH ST RM 228 OAKLAND CA 94612-95605 Dear Mr. Donahue, I am writing this letter on behalf of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and as a descendant of Native Americans taken to Mission Carmel. We were recently notified Read more…