Glen Cove – Sogorea Te Saved!
Glen Cove Tule Reeds Photo by Sara Volkman
The Sacred Ground at Sogorea Te Saved!
The City of Vallejo and the GVRD signed Cultural and Settlement Agreements on July 22, 2011 with the Cortina Band of Wintun from Williams, in Colusa County and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation located in the Capay Valley awarding them legal rights to oversee the Glen Cove – Sogorea Te site. The California Native American Heritage Commission identified the Yocha Dehe and Cortina tribes as the most likely descendants from the Glen Cove area, rather than the Ohlones or Miwoks who have been encamped in a vigil for 98 days at Sogorea Te – Glen Cove.
The Cultural Easement guarantees that the Cortina and Yocha Dehe will have legal oversight of all enterprises at the sacred burial site of Sogorea Te – Glen Cove. This represents the first Cultural Easement enacted under California Senate Bill 18, establishing a powerful legal precedent. The bill, which went into effect in March 2005, requires cities and counties to notify and consult with California Native American Tribes about proposed local land use developments that would adversely impact Traditional Tribal Cultural Places. The tribes, as part of the Cultural Easement Agreement, agreed to pay the City of Vallejo $100,000.
The agreement specifies the elimination of planned restroom facilities and the relocation of the proposed parking lot, in a downscaled form, to another area that will be rigorously tested to confirm that it is free of human remains and cultural artifacts. The current agreement does not preclude any lawsuits that could ensue over future disputes.
There is some concern over the vagueness of language in the agreement that would prevent grading on the western part of the site, however, Indians at the encampment expressed trust in the two tribes that had signed the agreement.
The signed agreements stipulate that the encampment of supporters must vacate the land at Glen Cove within 10 days. A closing ceremony will be held on July 30, 2011 with details to be announced, thus successfully concluding a 12-year battle to protect the sacred shellmound and burial grounds at Sogorea Te.