"Mákkin Mak Wárep" is a dialogue, a cooperation in which we value an ethics of co-creation.
By descendants of the Muwekma Ohlone and Kalie Granier
Partners: Djerassi Resident Artists Program and Villa Albertine San Francisco
This interdisciplinary project aims to reconnect the descendants of the Muwekma Ohlone to the land of their ancestors, on the lands of Djerassi.
The two tapestries, created with pigments from lichens harvested on the Djerassi lands, respond to the Chochenyo texts written by Monica V. Arellano and Gloria E. Arellano-Gómez, the conversations the artist, Kalie Granier, had with them, and their dance ceremony. These pieces depict a new generation of "American Indians" who, while living in the heart of contemporary American society, remain deeply rooted in their traditions and their connection to the land.
Through this project, we hope to foster a reconnec- tion with the forces that bind us—to each other, to the land, and to the many stories it holds.
Chochenyo text .1
Gloria E. Arellano-Gómez, Muwekma Ohlone Culture Bearer and Language Keeper
Waréeptak Djerassi, mani ’ommu hinnan tappiš. Muwékma Wolwóolum, ’uyyakiš hinnuš,’eete. Hiramwiš ’Ommu wakši, mani pe’a ’ewweh. Petle míinyihtak miččiškuš ’ištukma. Tuyhešte ’aytamak, ya ’armakma yišša. Híirap piretka, ’ištukma
‘Ommu nonwente kitti, ya máarš, Máarš núunukma hintoy ’awweš sii. ’Uhti himmewiš huššiš, mani núunukma hinni himméetka. ’Oyyo ’uyyakiš ’at huššiš hurti. Djerassi warep, mani ‘armakma watti. ’Ommu šáaw hašepe mak ruwwa. In the area of Djerassi, where ocean breathes sweeping. The Muwekma Ohlone in the past thought; idea, sleep Area underneath ocean swell, where abalone is bright Lie down in the heart ancestor dreams strong women, their spirits dance. Defend oneself on the land, dreams. Sea speaks quietly, they braid. Braiding stories, in any way salt water
Located together tomorrow, where stories come together Continue repeat in the past and tomorrow fast. Djerassi area, where spirits walk Sea’s song becomes our home Chochenyo text .2 Monica V. Arellano, Muwekma Ohlone Culture Bearer and Language Keeper Mákkin Mak Neepe Wárep, Mákkin Mak Wárep! Mákkin Mak Múwékma Wolwóolum, ’Akkoyt Mak-Wárep! Neepe holše wárep nuppe mak-watti ’áyye hémme, síi mak-’uwweto, mak-hinnan, ’áyye hemmen, wirakmen, ’áyye háamuy mak-héememu, ’uhtikne hišwee ’i-huyyi. San Francisco Bay Area-tak ’irihte pire hiswi California-tak, mánni mak-Múwékma héemekne ’irihte wárep. ’Anna ’irihte wáyénti henweppokne mak-Múwékmaš huuyi 1769, ’áyye ’Anna mak-Múwékma wáyénte pérténekne wárep ’áyye ’irinmin hemmen ne-túuxi makkin mak ’išša, hooyosin ’áyye ráakat ’oyyosin mak-10,000 warep miččiymakuš tunnešte-tak ’áyye rúwwa wárep, hinnimpisin ’išša-’oyyo- sin mak-hiswi-’innukma, hinšuušte hemmen karí ’áyye Bay-tak, áyye mak-noono mak-Muwékmasin. Kiš horše ’ek-hinnan Djerassi hémme híirapsin mak-mičciymakuš hiswi wárep. Aho! We Are Of This Land, We Are The Land! We Are Muwékma Ohlone, Welcome To Our Ancestral Land! This beautiful land that we walk and live on, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the animals, birds, and fish we shared life with, were once clean and in its natural state. The San Francisco Bay Area was a plentiful oasis of life in California, where our people lived for thousands of years. Although much has changed for our Muwekma people since 1769, and although our people have lost the land and almost everything else, today we are alive, reclaiming and renaming our 10,000 year ancestral heritage sites and homeland, revitalizing our traditions, knowledge about the ecology and the Bay, and our language for our future generations. Thank you Djerassi for continuing to preserve our ancestral homeland. Aho!
Artist’s Intention:
This interdisciplinary work is a response to the world I live in: a world rooted in a land imbued with multiple, often invisible stories/histories marked by colonization.
In dialogue with the descendants of the Muwekma Ohlone, this artistic project seeks to rekindle the connection between their community and the lands of Djerassi, which once formed part of their ancestral territory, using art as a tool for discussion and sharing. It embodies my artistic response to the texts, exchanges, and relationships formed with Monica, Gloria, and their families, who further enriched the project by contributing their abalone art—a profound symbol of their culture. This work aims to serve as a meaningful gesture toward fostering the vision of a more harmonious and sustainable future.
How can we foster connection or reconnection with one another in a world where, despite globalization, borders continue to tighten—both on a global scale and within individual communities? As a Western artist, how can I contribute to narrating the history and present of the lands that welcome me, guided by the people and the stories they have shared to me? And how might a living organism, often overlooked, like lichen, guide us in deepe- ning our understanding of the interconnectedness between humans and non-human entities?
The two tapestries, created with pigments from lichens harvested on the Djerassi lands, appear as a response by the Chochenyo texts written by Monica V. Arellano and Gloria E. Arellano-Gómez, as well as the ceremony held on May 11, 2024 at Djeras- si. The first tapestry depicts Isabella A. Gómez, Gloria's daughter, embodying the dances of the women, scarf in hand, capturing the prayers that the male dancers might drop while dancing. The second tapestry depicts Lucas T. Arellano, Monica's son, dancing with his feathered cape, evoking the movement of birds. Each character is filled with dots of paint, like fragments of their prayers. Both represent a new gene- ration of "American Indian" who, while living in the heart of contemporary American society, remain deeply connected to their traditions and their land.
Presented to Monica and Gloria, these tapestries form a bridge between their stories, my artistic expression, and their artistic reflection. These works, far from freezing or mythologizing a culture, aim to give voice to a cosmology deeply rooted in this terri- tory while capturing a moment of connection: a moment where two worlds meet and engage in dialogue through the art. Through this project, we aim to foster a recon- nection with the forces that unite us—each other, the land, and the countless stories it holds.
Kalie Granier