Emeryville — The Mounds, The History, and the Forgetting

Emeryville is a small city located in California that has a rich and complex history. Before European settlers arrived, the area was home to the Huchiun Ohlone, a proud Indigenous people who lived in harmony with nature and created beautiful mounds to honor their dead. These mounds were a symbol of respect and love, and they played a significant role in the lives of the Huchiun Ohlone. However, when Europeans arrived in the 18th century, they brought with them a culture of domination and oppression. The Spanish missionaries forced the Indigenous people to convert to Catholicism and took their land, while the Mexican government sold the land to wealthy Americans. As a result, the Huchiun Ohlone were displaced from their ancestral lands and forced to assimilate into a culture that was not their own. This history has left a deep mark on Emeryville, and it is something that I am deeply passionate about. As an artist, I want to use my artwork to explore this history and shed light on the struggles that the Indigenous people of Emeryville have faced. For example, I may incorporate images of enslaved Africans and their struggle for freedom, or the Catholic church's role in the displacement of Indigenous people. I may also include symbols of resistance and hope. My artwork will focus on the mounds that were created by the Huchiun Ohlone. I will use plants and materials that are native to the area to create a sense of connection with the land and the people who once lived there. By incorporating the bodies of the Indigenous people under the mounds, I hope to show the complex history of Emeryville and the struggles that the Indigenous people have faced. The wind would go around, the water would run between and even assist to press the bones down, which made the grounds nourishing. They will have plants from this area and superimposed bodies under the beautiful mounds and their love. Through my artwork, I want to start important conversations about the history of Emeryville and how it has shaped the city that we know today. I want people to understand the struggles that the Indigenous people have faced and to appreciate the beauty of their culture and traditions. By doing so, I hope to inspire positive change and create a better future for all. I cannot imagine living in a world where you can say you are accepted and appreciated but you only feel dread and anguish. But the most fascinating part is when the oppressors are placed within that same environment that you put the unequal but separate, they yel and want to do something for the children. The game keeps changing and justice is not blind — she is looking through her blindfold when there is a dark shape presence. That is our culture. That is our history. But for some reason, unlike Germany, we want to forget all of the things our ancestors and family and us have done. These conversations need to be had. And one thought factor is this art piece. I believe that by acknowledging the past and working towards a more just and equitable future, we can create a better world for all. Even though we are not trying hard enough.