On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 14, 2018, more than 400 people turned out to protect the West Berkeley Shellmound and Historic Ohlone Village Site.
Lisjan Ohlone leader Corrina Gould is fighting to protect the West Berkeley Shellmound and historic village site at 1900 4th St. in Berkeley. A developer has proposed a 5-story condominium retail complex on the 2.2 acre site that is Spenger's parking lot. Strawberry Creek once flowed right through this land. Where the creek met the Bay, Corrina's ancestors started the first village around San Francisco Bay roughly 5,700 years ago. A massive shellmound grew around it and was a center for ritual burials and ceremony. Ohlone ceremony continues at the village site to this day. A decision on the development proposal is expected in the coming months. Corrina is spreading the word about the cultural history of this important site and seeking community support to protect this Berkeley City Landmark, eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and restore it as an environmental, educational and ceremonial space.
Chochenyo Ohlone leader Corrina Gould is the spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan and the Co-Founder and a Lead Organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change. She has worked tirelessly to protect the 425 shellmounds that ring San Francisco Bay, and is currently focused on protecting the West Berkeley Shellmound, the first and oldest Ohlone settlement on the Bay, a Berkeley City Landmark.
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For information: shellmoundwalk@yahoo.com