Students from my Fall 2015 San José State University class produced two micro-documentaries on different aspects of Bay Area Ohlone culture.

The first film featured Kanyon Sayers-Roods, a Mutson (Coastanoan) Ohlone artist, activist, poet, crafter and Native representative. She speaks of her language, her life’s work, and a recently published book on Ohlone culture she produced and illustrated.

The second film depicted the annual Black Friday Protest at the Emeryville Shopping Mall; a protest of several hundred people with a 16+-year history. Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, descendants of Ohlone villages desecrated by the Mall’s construction educate the public through song, story, and marches.

These student-produced films are part of a growing collection of collaborative projects on biocultural diversity with Native California tribes and tribal communities. Stay tuned for more!