Thank you for visiting our Protect Juristac website. This site was developed by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Our Tribe is comprised of the descendants of the indigenous peoples taken to missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz on the central coast of California.
The true history of California Indians has never been told. For thousands of years and hundreds of generations our ancestors lived, raised their families and took care of the environment of our territory so it provided for our finned, winged, four-legged and leafed kin. They held Ceremonies at Juristac and throughout our traditional tribal territory to keep our lands sacred and to pray and give thanks to Creator for all that has been given to the the Amah Mutsun.
Then came the tragic times of the California Catholic Mission and Spanish Period, the Mexican Period, and then the California and American period. These periods included genocide as they intentionally sought to exterminate our ancestors, culture, environments, and spirituality. At the turn of the 19th century, the population of California Indians had been reduced by over 96 percent.
Despite these horrible acts, our Amah Mutsun Tribal Band never surrendered, signed a peace treaty, or gave away the rights to our land, water or minerals. For well over 100 years our members kept a very low profile and trusted no one as we struggled for our survival as a Tribe. Today we fully recognize that the efforts to destroy and dominate our peoples never ended, it just evolved to the laws, rules, and regulations that we live with today. These laws prevent Universities and other governmental organizations from returning the remains of our ancestors, from having Tribal lands, and these laws allow the continued destruction of our cultural and sacred sites.
Currently there is a proposal to allow sand and gravel extraction on our most sacred site, Juristac. There are very few cultural and sacred sites left in Santa Clara County, most have been destroyed by development. We are asking you to stand with us to protect Juristac and to oppose this mining proposal.
We hope you will read the information on this website, sign our petition and consider other "How to Help" steps that are needed for our success.
Thank you for your support,
Valentin Lopez, Chairman
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band