Gala Gabirondo: Olemaloke

We have received so much from the California coast. Gala Gabirondo knows a way we can give back.

I was seven when our old panel truck emerged from the shadows of Samuel P. Taylor Park into West Marin County. We were headed for Olema, an old stage stop of fifty people.

“Olema is a funny name,” I said, “Is it Spanish?”

“It’s short for Olemaloke,” my mother smiled, “It’s from the Miwok people. It means ‘valley of the coyotes.’”

Our new home was my gateway to endless adventure. I explored the trails, learned the plants, and marveled at the wildlife of Bear Valley, Inverness Ridge, and Tomales Bay. Forests had feelings. The Bay could speak. The countryside was full of animate beings to be respected and loved.

This land would give me solace during my parent´s divorce, and hope when I was incarcerated as a ward of the court.

Though I´d done nothing wrong, by the time I got out of juvenile hall months later, I felt guilty. But unlike the boys I’d left behind (many of whom likely spent their lives with the criminal justice system), I had Olemaloke to turn to. Wandering its hills helped me breathe life into that sacred space of inner freedom I´d clung to while in jail.

The Hookooeko Coast Miwok are Olemaloke’s original people. My trauma pales in comparison to their history of enslavement and genocide.

Many “uninvited guests” of this beautiful land have turned to its healing powers during their darkest hours, or reveled in its warm embrace during times of celebration. But can we truly appreciate the California coast without honoring its original inhabitants?

There is a growing movement called “Land Back” dedicated to returning ancestral land to indigenous peoples. Shell mounds in Berkeley, a green corridor along the Great Highway, and a river estuary in Marin County are examples. These indigenous-led initiatives serve to care for the earth and its people. Supporting their efforts would be a good way to say “thank you” to the people whose lands have given us so much.

With a Perspective, I’m Gala Gabirondo.

Gala Gabirondo is a writer who lives, surfs and plays conga drums in West Sonoma County.