Photo credit: Santeena Pugliese, Three Creeks Collective

Grantee Three Creeks Collective from the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission received well-deserved recognition in a New York Times article about the growing momentum in California to reclaim ancestral land. The article, “In California, Tribal Members Are Reclaiming the ‘Land of the Flowing Water,” highlights how the land back movement– and its critical intersection of water and land conservation, and Indigenous stewardship – is not one to be underestimated, as hundreds of acres of ancestral land have been purchased or returned in recent years all across the United States.

After losing land access to European settlers and Los Angeles developers, a five-acre swath of the Owens Valley (or Payahuunadü, as it is known to the four federally recognized Tribes in the area) is being returned to its original stewards. This is in large part due to Three Creeks Collective’s continued advocacy. Gigi Coyle ran a healing sanctuary on the property for 25 years, during which she and her partner developed relationships with the area’s Indigenous communities and came to understand more deeply the significance of land to their lifeways.

Between 2021 and 2022, Gigi was approached by allies and advocates Santeena Pugliese and Jen Schlaich, who understood the importance of returning the land to the people of Payahuunadü. Jen and Santeena then approached the Owen’s Valley Indian Water Commission, and together, the three formed the Three Creeks Collective. In 2023, Gigi agreed to sell the land to the OVIWC for a price well below market value and pass on the care of this healing sanctuary to the Three Creeks Collective.

For Three Creeks Collective, “This opportunity will provide space to nurture connections that build alliances, bring attention to local/global water issues, contribute to food sovereignty, support cultural revitalization, and engage youth in community with global stewards.” The organization is focused on using funds they’ve raised to care for the sanctuary and usher it into a new chapter as a place of healing, learning, and belonging for all.

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