The Tribal Band
We are the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Our ancestors, collectively referred to by many as “Ohlone”, are the indigenous peoples of south-San Francisco and north-Monterey Bay area. We trace our ancestry and heritage through a keyhole in time when the Spanish occupied our traditional lands and held us in their missions at San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz. Before that time our peoples were of many Bands, villages, and communities. Though they spoke similar languages, traded and intermarried, they were distinct in territory and leadership.
Now living on this side of the contact gateway, in these modern times and with much of our traditional ways, stories and histories disrupted, we stand united – regaining our knowledge, celebrating our heritage, reclaiming our sovereignty, honoring our Creator and protecting our homeland.
All lineages comprising the “Amah Mutsun Tribal Band” are the direct descendents of the aboriginal Tribal groups whose villages and territories fell under the sphere of influence of Missions San Juan Bautista (Mutsun) and Santa Cruz (Awaswas) during the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band currently has an enrolled membership of nearly 600 BIA documented Indians. These are the Previously Recognized Tribal group listed by the Indian Service Bureau (now known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs) as the “San Juan Band.”
The traditional territory of the Amah Mutsun encompasses all or portions of the modern Counties of San Benito, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara. Historically comprised of more than 20 politically distinct peoples, the modern tribe represents the surviving descendant families of these historic groups.
For more information, check The Tribal Band website