Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO)

What happened

The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) is a San Francisco nonprofit. Its home page says the Ramaytush Ohlone are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula and that the descendants of one surviving lineage make up the Ramaytush Tribe and the ARO staff. Jonathan Cordero is listed as chair of the tribe and executive director of the ARO. ProPublica lists the group under EIN 86-3991594, with tax exemption issued in February 2022.

ARO's stated purposes include "Rematriation: the return of land within our ancestral homeland," along with cultural revival, public education and ecological restoration. Its Ramaytush Land Trust aims to acquire land, gain access to it, or co-manage it. Its website says that at present the Ramaytush Ohlone "do not hold any land in our traditional territory."

Its land-trust page lists access arrangements rather than ownership. It reports a memorandum of understanding with the Filoli estate that grants access for work and ceremony. It also says it is in talks with San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department about a community garden site, and that two regional open-space agencies have agreed to grant access with permission.

On ecology, ARO says it is working with the San Mateo Resource Conservation District on creek restoration projects. It also funds itself through a voluntary "Yunakin Land Tax" asked of Peninsula residents. The organization states that it is funded entirely by donations and grants.

Good to know. The Ramaytush Ohlone hold no land in their territory; the land-trust work so far is access agreements and talks. The Yunakin Land Tax is a voluntary payment, and the payee should read "Association of Ramaytush Ohlone".

Summarized with AI assistance from 5 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error