‘Irihte Ujima is a one acre hillside landsite, nestled near the Garrity Creek Watershed in so-called El Sobrante, California. Sogorea Te’ began stewarding this piece of land in 2021 through a collaboration with Black Earth Farms.
The name ‘Irihte Ujima is a way to honor our work with Black Land stewards – “’Irihte” being the Chochenyo word meaning “abundance” and “Ujima” a Swahili word meaning “collective responsibility.”
‘Irihte Ujima is culturally significant to the Lisjan Ohlone people, located in the middle of several cultural and sacred sites in an area that was historically a place where ancestors fished and traded. I.U. is one of the first more rural pieces of Land we have stewarded, and has been an amazing opportunity for us to learn about how to caretake Land that isn’t in heavily populated urban areas.
Each season since we began caretaking this Land, we have introduced more and more Native plants like brush grasses and gumweed and as of Spring 2025 we will be planting more food crops like corn and leafy greens.
Being at the headwaters of Garrity Creek is informing our work, as any agricultural runoff could affect our many animal and plant relatives downstream. With that in mind, we began riparian restoration projects with Cultural Conservancy and are now continuing our work with Urban Tilth’s Watershed Team to help the waters of the creek flow clear and healthy again.
