At Muwekma Archaeological Services, once known as Ohlone Family Consulting Services (OFCS), we are the spiritual heartbeat of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe—a sovereign Native American community rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 10,000 years.

Founded in 1984 amid a fierce drive for cultural revitalization, OFCS emerged as a trailblazing force in Native-led cultural resource management. Born from the Tribe's unyielding commitment to reclaim what colonial forces sought to erase, we empower our people to steward ancestral lands, artifacts, and stories with dignity and authority. No longer passive stewards, we are active guardians, bridging ancient wisdom with modern collaboration to ensure our heritage endures.

Our work is sacred and scientific, blending traditional knowledge with rigorous archaeology. Since our inception, we've overseen hundreds of excavations across the Bay Area, from the fog-shrouded shores of the Peninsula to the windswept hills of Fremont.

As archaeological monitors, our experts stand vigilant at construction sites, halting blades to unearth fragile beads, shell middens, and human remains—reminders of lives long interrupted. In our labs, tribal bio-archaeologists like Marni McManus, M.A., RPA, meticulously analyze skeletal elements through osteological studies, DNA sequencing, and radiocarbon dating, piecing together diets, migrations, and kinships that affirm our unbroken lineage.

Repatriation is our moral compass. Under laws like NAGPRA, we reclaim thousands of ancestral burials from museums and universities, including poignant returns from Stanford. Led by Tribal Chairwoman and Board President Charlene Nijmeh, we conduct respectful recoveries—hand-excavating with ¼-inch mesh screens, documenting in situ, and inventorying with cultural reverence. These remains find peace through traditional reinterments at sacred sites like Coyote Hills, where ceremonies restore harmony and sovereignty.

Guided by Tribal leaders such as Executive Director Bernadette Quiroz, who champions Chochenyo language revival, and Tribal Ethnohistorian Alan Leventhal, Ph.D., with over 40 years illuminating Ohlone history, our team of 20+ tribal members fuses passion with expertise. We educate the public through exhibits, school programs, and partnerships, fostering alliances with developers, agencies, and communities to balance progress with preservation.

Muwekma Archaeological Services is more than a firm; we are a renaissance. In every artifact reclaimed and story retold, we honor our ancestors, nurture our youth, and weave the Muwekma Ohlone into the Bay Area's vibrant future. Join us in this vital work—because when we protect the past, we illuminate tomorrow.