Santa Cruz occupies the unceded lands of the Uypi Tribe of the Awaswas speaking Ohlone peoples, part of a larger Indigenous homeland known as Popelouchum. This land is cared for today by their relatives, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. The Uypi are ancestral relatives of the Amah Mutsun and other local Indigenous families.

The histories and stories of Indigenous people of this region have all too frequently been ignored or overlooked, much like contemporary Indigenous people themselves. And yet, like the many contemporary local Indigenous families and communities, these histories still very much exist and are knowable for those willing to look around.

This website is dedicated to illuminating and recognizing the complex histories and stories of Indigenous people of the Santa Cruz, Monterey, and greater San Francisco Bay Area.