Born and raised in her traditional territory in the East Bay, in the village of Huchiun. Deja is a core member of the administrative office team and a land team lead. Deja is the Chochenyo language carrier for her Tribe the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, she enjoys bringing her children to the land to connect with soil and life around them, seed save and learn about traditional plant use.

Vick (They/Them)  is a first generation, Indigequeer, Yoe’me (Yaqui), Mexikah, ​​born and raised in the Village of Huchiun/ East Oakland.

Vick is a Po-scholar, Storyteller, interdisciplinary artist focussing on Indigenous Solidarity across seas and false man made borders, Queer liberation, Land Back, reawakening and reclamation of ancestral knowledge.

Vick was asked to join Sogorea Te’ in 2017 where they had an opportunity to put their hands in the soil for the first time. Currently, you can find them amongst the flowers as a Land Restoration Team Lead and our Food Distribution Program. Their creative work has uplifted the work of STLT with such pieces as “Land Acknowledgments are NOT Reparations”, “Hands of our Medicine” , and numerous timeless photography.

Inés is an interdisciplinary Bolivian-American / Mestizx artist and media maker with a background in youth work, decolonial nonprofit administration, and community organizing. She leads STLT’s art and media work, coordinates projects, organizes events, and works with plants.

Kinłichii’nii is a member of the Navajo Nation and Acoma Pueblo tribes. He is out on the land leading construction, water catchment, and solar power projects. In addition to this work, Kinłichii’nii has been a community organizer in the Bay Area since 1998.

Born and raised in his ancestral village of Huchiun, Cha-Tah is an actor and filmmaker working on increasing Ohlone and Native representation within film and media. He assists with tribal work.

At Lisjan, Bernadette leads our seed saving and processing. She moved to California from Colorado because she was drawn to plants and wildlife and is now passing on her experiences and knowledge to the rest of the land team.

Born and raised in Huchiun/Oakland, Ariel is an interdisciplinary artist and activist. His people are Ashkenazi Jewish and white settlers and he organizes with Jews on Ohlone Land. He was part of the team that created the Shuumi Land Tax and works to support pathways of redistribution and Rematriation.

Born and raised in her ancestral village of Huchiun, Cheyenne is a Tribal member of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation. She has been working in the Native community all her life. She has worked with the youth, helped with organizing events, protesting for native/human rights, and advocated for native families in the east bay. While on the land she brings along her children. She continues to build relationships, strengthen her Tribal traditions, tends to the land, and prepares emergency hubs.

Windsor is a Pacific Islander and Army veteran who grew up in Tohono O’odham territory (now called Arizona ). They are passionate about growing food and education. They support food distribution, land care, and Himmteka (Water Catchment System) projects.

Rosa is Boricua, born and raised in the village of Huchiun.She provides support for the financial and administration dept. Her joy in life is closely related to family, music, cooking, traveling and puppies!

Office Administrator

Sharon Marcos is a Maya Q’anjob’al woman who works at Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and supports the movement of rematriation. Outside of work, she works on the ongoing revitalization of the Q’anjob’al Maya language for folks born in the diaspora and works alongside organizers in Guatemala to bring in revolutionary politics for a better society in the country of Guatemala.

Born and raised in her ancestral territory in the village of Huchiun, she is a Tribal member of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation. Freidda is a land team lead at Rammay, one of our gardens in West Oakland and helps to coordinate in our food distro program. She enjoys getting her hands in the soil, harvesting and working with traditional plants and learning about their uses.

Sam is of Chinese and Irish ancestry, born and raised in South Berkeley, within the Village of Huchiun. Having worked with Indigenous land stewards across Coast Salish and Kānaka Maoli territories, including his family’s taro farm on Kaua’i, he has witnessed the transformative power of Indigenous ecological knowledge. Sam is passionate about food justice and returning to traditional relationships with the lands and waters of the Bay Area.

Cerise Mary Palmanteer is a member of both the Yakama and Colville nation. Two fishing peoples from the Nchi’ Wana or Columbia River. Our people have a saying, Wy’kanushpum, which means, we are Salmon people. It recognizes the mutuality of the relationship we hold with the Salmon we consume and steward. I was raised in this tradition of subsistence fishing, hunting and gathering. My elders have taught me to always seek balance in my relationship to the land, air, water and all living creatures. My goals in life and work are to continue to indigenize myself and the world around me.

Daniel Olveda is Nahua, Zapatoc, and Yaqui with family from Jalisco and Chihuahua Mexico. He was raised in the California Delta.  He is from a farmworker family and has been working on land his whole life. Daniel is interested in habitat restoration and is amember of the land team.  

Ashley “Mingus Mouse” Salaz is an Indigenous (Coharie/Nahua) storyteller and auntie living in the occupied Ohlone territory of Huchiun (Oakland, CA). Ashley is passionate about photographing political actions in the Bay Area and using art to highlight Indigenous activism and community work. She is a Media Coordinator and Land Team member for Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, using her creative talents to support the work of Indigenous land return.

Lucio is a reconnecting Indigenous person of Purepecha Ancestry who was born and raised in Tihuan (Tijuana) Mexico, the ancestral lands of the Kumeyaay People. Lucio migrated to the Pacific Northwest and eventually made their way to Ohlone Territory. Lucio enjoys working on the Land and re-learning and sharing ancestral plant knowledge from peers. They also enjoy making beadwork for their friends and colleagues and make the best chile verde ever!

P.S. Be kind to yourself.

Nicole is Shasta and Karuk, born and raised in Wiyot territory. She joins Sogorea Te’ after two decades in government finance and project management, and is passionate about returning land to Indigenous hands. She enjoys gardening with her family, spending time in the Redwoods and helping to run a performing arts troupe in Humboldt County.

Francis is Yurok, Hupa, and Northern Paiute, having grown up in Northern California on her tribal homelands. For the past 22 years, she has lived on Huchiun territory. As an artist, Francis creates work centered on Indigenous people, aiming to raise awareness that Indigenous communities are still present and thriving. Currently serving as the Land Back Coordinator for Sogorea Te Land Trust, Francis is passionate about land rematriation and creating spaces for Indigenous to gather and build relationship with the land. Outside of work, she enjoys fishing, hiking, and staying active through sports and exercise.