10/16/2026
This is a cultural burn—a tradition that is returning to the East Bay for the first time in decades.
Vincent Medina, a Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone and president of the Ohlone Indian Tribe, ignites a small blaze that quickly engulfs the low-lying, dry, and brittle grasses. Crackling fills the air. The ground changes quickly—from straw-colored to black and ashy. It runs through an acre of the Cal State East Bay campus. Within 15 minutes, the fire extinguishes on its own.
Burning the land is a traditional form of Indigenous stewardship. It can improve soil and plant health, make way for the cultivation of native food, medicine, and fibres, and bring together community.
“Let us see good fire on the land,” Medina says. He, along with other Ohlone tribal members, are reviving Indigenous stewardship on these ancestral lands. The burn is just the beginning.
Video Credit: Chrissy Bisi cometwest
Words: Momo Chang
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