From UC Berkeley News
Initiative aims to create a ‘rightful presence’ for the Ohlone community at UC Berkeley
By Kara Manke
Nestled against the hillside behind The Lawrence Hall of Science, the winding paths and native gardens of the Karplus Outdoor Nature Lab offer visitors a glimpse of the flora and fauna that once thrived in the East Bay Hills. Now, as part of a UC Berkeley-wide initiative, the Outdoor Nature Lab also invites visitors to explore the language and culture of the Ohlone people, the original inhabitants of the land who continue to live and flourish as members of the Berkeley and broader Bay Area community.
To the right of the entrance, a cedar plank is inscribed with a land acknowledgement and welcome message in English and Chochenyo, the language of the East Bay Ohlone people. Throughout the space, new cedar posts bear the Chochenyo names for native plants along with their scientific and common names in English. By tapping a smartphone on the top of the posts, visitors can access webpages where they can learn more about the importance of each plant to the Ohlone community and hear audio recordings of the Chochenyo names. The science center has also incorporated the Chochenyo language and details about Ohlone culture into activity decks designed to help learners explore the lab...
To welcome more Indigenous people to The Lawrence, the science center has established a new complimentary membership for self-identifying Indigenous Californians, named the šuumin membership after the Chochenyo word for “to gift.” Further, in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s School of Information [Professor Kimiko Ryokai], the ‘ottoy team also is working with Ohlone youth to design mixed reality exhibits that highlight the Ohlone experience in the East Bay...
Kimiko Ryokai is currently an Assistant Professor in the Berkeley I School and her research focuses primarily on human-computer interactions, user experience research, and design. In 2023, she began working with the Lawrence Hall of Science on a project to create mixed reality exhibits for Ohlone youth that would create a sense of ‘rightful presence’ for them.
