Our Mission + Vision
Keeping the Beat of Our Ancestors’ Hearts
Mission
The Alliance for Felix Cove works to protect, restore and rematriate the ancestral Coast Miwok/Tamalko homelands of the Felix Family at Point Reyes National Seashore.
Our Aim
Advocacy
Build and sustain an effective grassroots advocacy campaign to honor the Támal-ko Felix Family by restoring the Felix family home and to gain access to living descendants.
Vision
The Felix Family Home and Cove is an Indigenous site of resiliency embodying history, culture, science, and community. It is a place of healing, beauty, and creativity where Indigenous and all peoples can deepen their relationship to Mother Earth.
Narrative Change & Education
Increase the public’s understanding and awareness of the history and contemporary lives of the Támal-ko Felix Family and engage with key partners–including the National Park Service–to ensure that story is told accurately and from the perspective of Támal-ko people themselves.
Community Building
Create welcoming spaces and opportunities for Indigenous and all community members to engage with
Támal-ko history and culture and join the circle of Relatives who are re-Indigenizing land in California and beyond.
Organizational Infrastructure & Capacity
Build organizational infrastructure and capacity for long-term impact and growth.
About the Felix Cove Name
Felix Cove is an informal name used by family members to recognize the Felix Family ancestral Coast Miwok homesite in place Laird’s Landing found on maps. The Laird’s Landing name originates from George and Charles Laird whom used the road to the cove and the cove to ship their dairy products to San Francisco. The Lairds used the cove for six years (approx 1860-66). Felix Cove is not an official name nor is the family pursuing a formal name change. Such a name change would require the support and agreement of the National Park Service and Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
Background
At least four generations of the Tomalko (Coast Miwok) Felix Family are known to have lived at the cove, beginning with Domingo and Euphrasia (Tomalko) Felix in the early 1800s. Family history tells us that Domingo’s and Euphrasia’s sons Joe and Ben built homes at Marshall Beach and Laird’s Landing. Other extended Felix family members lived on other coves and on the Marshall side of Tomales Bay. The family worked at Point Reyes Peninsula ranches as ranch hands and cooks. The family lived sustainably at the cove with vegetable gardens, farm animals, and by hunting deer, harvesting shellfish and fishing on Tomales Bay.
The last of the Felix family to live at the cove was Domingo’s and Euphrasia’s granddaughter Bertha Felix Campigli (1882-1949) and her children (Victor, Eugene, Frank, Delphina, Gilda, Elaine and Elizabeth). After Bertha’s death her husband Arnold Campigli and son Victor were served eviction papers in 1952 by ranchers Turney and Lundgren. Victor fought the eviction in court. He lost the case and appeal. In 1956 the Felix Family were forced to leave their home. Alliance for Felix Cove founder Theresa Harlan (adopted at birth) is the daughter of Elizabeth Campigli Harlan and continues the work of her uncle Victor to re-establish the Felix Family legacy at the family cove.
