Makkin Mak Nommo | We Are Still Here | Todavía estamos aquí

This Educational Toolkit was developed in collaboration between New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU), San José State University (SJSU) graduate and undergraduate Anthropology students, and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, coinciding with the Reclamation exhibitions: Resilience of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and Aboriginal Ancestral Homeland of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe at NUMU. These two art exhibitions highlight the vitality of the Muwekma Ohlone today, featuring photographs of tribal members and their ancestral heritage sites and places within their aboriginal homeland, taken by their Tribal Photographer Kike Arnal. The exhibitions and accompanying toolkit were developed to promote a deeper understanding of local indigenous art, culture, history, and contemporary issues in Los Gatos and the greater Bay Area and preserve and share knowledge about critical issues surrounding the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s struggle to regain their federally recognized status.

Taking inspiration from the photographs in each exhibition, this Educational Toolkit was created to serve as a lasting resource for 3rd-5th grade teachers in the Bay Area to present concrete connections between California History-Social Studies content standards and the contemporary lives of a documented, local, historic Indigenous community. Through photos, activities, quotations, and discussion questions, students will learn about the cultural revitalization efforts of the Muwekma Ohlone and recognize that they have unique experiences and perspectives to share pertaining to local history. Their communities are dynamic, and their regalia, dance, language, and arts remain essential expressions of their identities. This Toolkit is meant to help students understand that the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe has maintained a continuous presence in the San Francisco Bay Area for thousands of years, despite the United States government and Bureau of Indian Affairs Sacramento Superintendent removing the tribe from the list of landless California Indians awaiting land purchase for their homes. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council is still actively forging ahead to regain their federal recognition, and by partnering with organizations like NUMU and SJSU, hopes to bring awareness to their struggle.

Download the Toolkit

• Museum Explorer (school tours & classroom visits)

  • NUMU’s Museum Explorer Program offers guided school tours and classroom visits related to NUMU’s Current Art Exhibitions and The Los Gatos History Project (LGHP), with hands-on activities introducing K-5 elementary and high school students in Santa Clara County to art and history in a museum setting. NUMU’s Museum Explorer programs support California State Curriculum Content Standards and are led by museum staff.

  • Los Gatos History Project (Grades K-5)

  • Elements of Art (Grades K-5)

  • Classroom Visits (Grades 3-5)

  • High School Tours (Grades 9-12)

Major support for NUMU’s exhibition Reclamation provided by Penumbra, The Farrington Historical Foundation, The Borgenicht Foundation, and SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara.

This activity is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.

This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.

In-kind support provided by University Art.