Muwekma Ohlone tribe starts 'Trail of Truth' protest across US in fight for federal recognition

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you tried to get across the Golden Gate Bridge Sunday afternoon, you may have seen the beginning of what the Muwekma Ohlone are calling the "Trail of Truth."

Tribal Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh is leading a protest horseback ride across the country to bring awareness to the Bay Area tribe's fight for federal recognition.

"We are not going away and that's what this truth is about and this journey," Chairwoman Nijmeh said.

Without federal recognition, they have no land of their own or sovereignty.

Unrecognized tribes miss out on federal funding for everything from healthcare to housing and education.

MORE: Berkeley restores Ohlone land to Ohlone hands in largest give-back in CA history

"And we Muwekma Ohlone, along with other unrecognized tribes throughout California, don't have access to educate our children for free," Chairwoman Nijmeh said. "To uplift them from the generational trauma that we have faced, the poverty that we still live in. It's real. It's very real for us. We're not going away. And that's what this truth is about and this journey."

Also at stake is the return of ancestral remains and sacred cultural objects. By law, federal agencies and museums are required to return, but without federal recognition the tribe is at a loss.

"We can't repatriate them because we're not on their 1978 list of federally recognized tribes," Chairwoman Nijmeh said.

Some local governments are also getting behind the fight, as San Jose City Council member Peter Ortiz is planning to introduce a resolution to recognize the tribe.

He says he has a good number of colleagues ready to support their battle.

"They need all of our rights," Councilmember Ortiz said. "It's not up to a colonial government to determine what rights the original inhabitants of this country should have."

The Trail of Truth started Sunday at Crissy Field and will end in October in Washington D.C.

The next stop is in Sacramento later this week to bring their demands to the state capitol and Governor Gavin Newsom.

ABC7 News will be following along the Trail of Truth as part of our continuing coverage.