Native Californians
We Are (Still) Here: Indigenous Peoples of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
We Are (Still) Here: Indigenous Peoples of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties is a collaborative work between Caltrans District 7 and our local Native American partners, with the purpose of bringing more awareness to transportation planners of the long and rich histories of Native American communities in our district. Understanding the cultural and human history of the physical landscape in which we operate will help the Department in meeting the needs of the traveling public and the communities we serve in ways that are meaningful and transformative.
The physical exhibit was on display in October 2019 at the Caltrans District 7 Museum in downtown Los Angeles. The following is a virtual adaptation of the exhibit.
Los Angeles and Ventura Counties lie within the traditional territories of at least six greater Tribal Nations: the Chumash, Fernandeño, Tataviam, Kitanemuk, Gabrieleno, and Serrano. The descendants of these nations are still here today, living and working in the communities Caltrans District 7 serves.
They maintain deep rooted connections to their cultural traditions, their ancestors, and to this landscape, and they are strongly committed to protecting tribal cultural resources, sacred places, and their heritage to ensure these are passed on to future generations.
The following exhibit reflects this deep connection to family, place, and tradition.
Of the nearly 16 Native Californian communities in District 7, the three represented in the exhibit are: Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, and Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation.
The Chumash refer to themselves as “the first people,” and point to the Pacific Ocean as their first home. They hold much of central and southern coastal California as their ancestral territory, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south, as well as four of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands: Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Anacapa.
Traditionally, Chumash communities consisted of groupings of households that supported from 300 to as high as 1,000 individuals, with settlements located in canyons, near natural springs, and along the coast. As with all other Native Californians, the Chumash did not practice agriculture and relied entirely on hunting terrestrial animals, managing and gathering plant foods, and exploiting marine resources. Chumash society was stratified, consisting of political and ceremonial leaders, elite classes, and commoners.
Chumash settlements were connected through a system of trails that covered the coast and mountain areas. These trails also connected the Chumash to other Tribal Nations to the east in the American Southwest and as far north as the San Francisco Bay area. The Chumash used these trails primarily for trade. They were known for the elaborate shell beads they produced and that were used in exchange networks.
Many Chumash continue to live and work within their ancestral lands. The following are glimpses in time of one Chumash family: the Tumamaits of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians.
All photos and artifacts shown in the Chumash exhibit are courtesy of tribal member Mr. Patrick Tumamait.
The Tumamait Family
by Patrick Tumamait
Our great-grandfather Juan De Jesus Tumamait was born and raised in Ventura, California. He was born in the year 1811 and lived to be approximately 92 years old. He was a musician and played the violin for the San Buenaventura Mission Church Choir. He is said to be buried in the Mission grounds with the other Padres that have passed on. He was the father of Cecilio Tumamait, our grandfather.
Cecilio married Maria Barrios and were the parents of Vincent James Tumamait. Cecilio and Grandma Mary lived on the Rincon Ranch in the Padre Juan Canyon.
He was a farmer and carpenter and passed away when our father Vincent was only 13. After his death, Grandma Mary loaded everyone onto a horse drawn wagon and relocated to the City of Ventura near Mission Avenue.
Several years later our father Vincent and his siblings began having families of their own. Our father met our mother while working in the fields picking strawberries. The romance started over a cold glass of water.
Several years later, with seven children to raise, our father and mother hung in there. Our family grew up in the Ojai Valley and attended school there. Ojai, was a small town at that time and there weren’t too many minority families there but, we managed. After 30 years of working for SHELL Oil Co., Vincent retired and began working with local groups and schools, sharing songs and storytelling as paha (Chumash leader) and educator.
My sister Julie and l have picked up the Torch where our father has left off. We’re now running with it, never to see it burn out.
Pencil sketch of Tumamait family photo, ca. 1925-35 (by Michael K. Ward 1989) From right to left: Bertha Tumamait, Cecilio Tumamait (father), Maria Tumamait (mother), Vernon Tumamait, Margaret Tumamait, and Vincent James Tumamait. Vincent James Tumamait is the subject of many of the photos in the Chumash exhibit, and he is the father of Patrick Tumamait.
Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians elder Vincent James Tumamait at an intertribal powwow, 1992.
Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians Vincent James Tumamait speaks with fourth-graders about Chumash culture.
Vincent James Tumamait and his sister Bertha in a Santa Barbara news article on Chumash families, 1986.
Oil painting of Vincent James Tumamait by Leslie Clark This painting of Vincent James Tumamait won a local Ojai art competition for the cover of the Ojai phonebook out of thousands of submissions.
San Buenaventura Mission orchestra: Vincent James Tumamait’s grandfather Juan de Jesus Tumamait, born in 1811, was a violin player with the San Buenaventura Mission orchestra.
Shell Ornaments Artfiacts courtesy of Mr. Patrick Tumamait Southern California’s indigenous peoples were participants in a region-wide exchange system that extended from the Pacific coast east toward the lower Colorado River Valley and beyond. Numerous complex trail systems were used to transport subsistence items, raw materials, and manufactured goods such as baskets, pottery, woven blankets, and shell ornaments. Shell beads were of intrinsic importance to this exchange system as they also served as an economic medium and were strung on threads of various lengths to indicate relative values. The Gabrieleno and Chumash peoples dominated the bead manufacturing industry, which was centered primarily on the Channel Islands. The Chumash occupied the Northern Channel Islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa. The Gabrieleno occupied the Southern Channel Islands: Santa Catalina, San Nicolas, San Clemente, and Santa Barbara. The archaeological record of Chumash ancestral lands bear out evidence for the dominance of the Chumash bead industry in the extensive remains of bead manufacturing localities on the Northern Channel Islands as well as the high frequency of occurrence of finished Chumash-type beads throughout southern California and beyond. The shell artifacts on display here were recovered from a secondary (disturbed) context during Caltrans’ archaeological investigations at a site along US 101 in Ventura County. As part of Caltrans’ consultation efforts with the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Chumash Indians, the artifacts from this secondary deposit were given to the Tribe for educational use.
Stone Tool Production Artifacts courtesy of Mr. Patrick Tumamait Historically, Native Californians crafted a variety of tools from local rock sources. Stone tool production commonly consisted of striking a handheld hammerstone against a rock nodule or core and removing large flakes. The flakes were refined/worked further to create tools such as projectile points, knives, or scrapers. The stone tools on display here were recovered from secondary/disturbed contexts within Chumash ancestral lands in Ventura County and given to the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Chumash Indians for educational use.
Milling Stones Artifacts courtesy of Mr. Patrick Tumamait Milling stones were used by indigenous populations in southern California primarily for the processing of plants and animals for dietary use. This included hulling and grinding of large and small seeds, tubers, nuts, and berries as well as pulverizing roasted meats and grinding of roasted insects (e.g., crickets, locusts) into flour. Milling stones were also used for preparation of non-consumable materials such as clay and temper for ceramic production and paint. Archaeologists identify four general kinds of portable milling stones: metates, manos, pestles, and mortars. Metates are flat or slightly hollowed stone slabs on which items were processed using handheld stones called manos. The mano is used against the metate in a circular, rocking, or grinding motion using one or both hands. Pestles are elongated stones with a rounded end that are used in conjunction with a mortar for crushing and grinding items. Mortars are bowl-like receptacles that were made from either stone or wood. The milling stones on display here were recovered from secondary/disturbed contexts within Chumash ancestral lands in Ventura County and given to the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Chumash Indians for educational use.
Modern Chumash Bowls, Ceremonial Rattle, and Wansak Items on display courtesy of Mr. Patrick Tumamait Ceramic bowls made by Patrick Tumamait from local clay sources. Ceremonial rattles are made from a variety of mediums, including turtle shells and kelp bulbs. The rattle exhibited here is made from a bulb of bullwhip kelp. A wansak (also called a clap/clapper stick) is usually made from the branch of an elderberry tree which has been partially hollowed out and split lengthwise. The rattle and wansak are just a few of the instruments used for music, songs, and dancing.
The Fernandeño tribal communities of northern Los Angeles County originated in the lineages, villages, and culture of the pre-Mission period. Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana was established on Sept. 8, 1797 at the village of Achoicominga and, for years following, forcibly removed indigenous peoples from their traditional villages in the geographically surrounding area, ranging from present-day Simi Valley and Malibu in the west, Cahuenga and Encino in the south, Tujunga in the east, and the present-day Tejon Ranch in the north.
Before the founding of Mission San Fernando, the Fernandeño lived in autonomous lineages within villages. These tribal lineages, or tribelets, consisted of speakers from the Takic branch of the Uta-Aztecan language, who intermarried with individuals from other linguistic groups within the area, as well as strengthened economic, social, and cultural relations with those outside of their language group by practicing exogamy. Each lineage held territory and maintained political and economic sovereignty over its local area, but was also linked through social exchange to neighboring villages and lineages.
Today, the Tribe consists of a voluntary coalition of those lineages bound together by a Tribal constitution. The interpretative panels on display in the Fernandeño exhibit were produced by the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians.
Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians’ ancestor Eugenia Mendez at Tejon by Edward C. Curtis, 1916. [Progenitor of the Garcia Lineage]
Photograph of Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians’ tribal captain Rogerio Rocha in San Fernando, California, ca. 1900.
Photograph of Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians’ tribal captain Antonio Maria Ortega at Coronel Street in San Fernando, California, ca. 1940.
Photograph of Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians’ ancestors Ralph Ortiz and brother Joseph Ortiz in San Fernando, California, ca. 1910. [Progenitors of the Ortiz Lineage]
To learn more about the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, their land dispossession cases, 130-year pursuit of federal recognition, and contemporary organizations and functions, please watch this short video .
Gabrieleno villages were located throughout the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands: Santa Catalina, San Clemente, San Nicolas, and Santa Barbara. The Gabrieleno people occupied these lands over thousands of years and placed their villages near and around a water source. Many villages overlapped each other and were situated near freshwater springs, canyon seeps, freshwater lakes, saltwater estuaries and most notably large rivers known today as the Los Angeles, San Gabriel, Rio Hondo, and Santa Ana Rivers. For example, modern day downtown Los Angeles stands where the village of Yaanga/Yangna was located. The most prominent water source utilized was the ocean with interminable ancient habitation and ritual/ceremony sites occurring along the entire coastline and the offshore Channel Islands dated to over 13,000 years ago.
The Gabrieleno people's name is derived from the Spanish mission built on their territory: Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. However, the Gabrieleno lineal descendants are still here today and are consistently working alongside government agencies to educate them and the public about the importance of protecting and preserving these irreplaceable resources, which not only has significance to the Tribe, but also has significance and importance to the history of the State of California. To date, there are over 3,000 known Gabrieleno archaeological sites recorded in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the Channel Islands.
"The Gabrieleno held the great bulk of the most fertile lowland portion of southern California. They occupied also a stretch of pleasant and sheltered coast and the most favored one of the Santa Barbara Islands. They seem to have been the most advanced group south of Tehachapi, except perhaps the Chumash. They certainly were the wealthiest and most thoughtful of all the Shoshoneans of the State, and dominated these civilizationally wherever contacts occurred. Their influence spread even to alien peoples ... everything points to these very efflorescence's having had their origin with the Gabrieleno." Alfred Kroeber 1925 Handbook of the Indians of California , p. 621
The photos and artifacts shown in the Gabrieleno exhibit are courtesy of two Gabrieleno families, the Salas and the Rochas. They are representatives of the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation.
NOS HACE FALTA
(We Are Not Complete Without It)
– Taylor Yard Maintenance Building –
"A goal of this design is to root humankind and civilization to a natural and spiritual base ... the spirit of the indigenous people ... are ultimately within all of us who share the land." - Sindicato Regeneracion, Artist Team
Nos Hace Falta was a mixed-media mural that depicted the history of the local people and the land. The central figure is of a Native American woman with a magical basket that jets forth water mimicking the adjacent Los Angeles River. The water dances across the wall and drenches and cleanses the cityscape. The artwork was painted over and is no longer extant; this photo and quote was provided by Mrs. Ruth Rocha (read more below).
The Native American woman depicted in "Nos Hace Falta" is Gabrieleno elder Vera Rocha. The following photos were provided for the exhibit courtesy of Mrs. Rocha's daughter, Ruth Rocha, and grandson, Rico Ramirez.
Vera Rocha in front of a traditional Gabrieleno house.
Vera Rocha and her husband Manuel conducting a blessing at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, part of the dedication of a plaque to the Indians of Southern California.
Vera and Manuel Rocha in front of Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in 1989.
The following photos are of Gabrieleno elder Ernie P. Salas and his children, Andrew and Nadine, of the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation.
Chief Ernie Perez Teutimez Salas of the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation on cover of OC Weekly, 2013.
Chief Ernie Perez Teutimez Salas gives a prayer at the Fiesta del Rancho San Jose at La Casa Primera in Pomona. La Casa Primera was the first adobe house in the Pomona Valley. Photo Courtesy of Natasha Brennan (B.A.) from People of the Willow House (2019).
Tribal Chairman Andrew Salas, Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation, blesses the Pomona community with sage burning in an abalone shell and fanned with eagle feathers at the Fiesta del Rancho San Jose. Photo Courtesy of Natasha Brennan (B.A.) from People of the Willow House (2019).
Tribal Vice-Chairwoman Nadine Salas, Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation, becomes emotional during the dedication of a plaque to the Kizh people at the corner of Vignes and Commercial Street in Los Angeles. The plaque recognized where El Aliso, a large and sacred sycamore tree, once stood. The tree was the site of ancient burials and religious ceremony. Photo Courtesy of Natasha Brennan (B.A.) from People of the Willow House (2019).
A replica of a kizh (keech), or the home of the Kizh people, sits at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens. The word “Kizh” means “people of the willow or brush house,” but is also the name of the home structure, which was on average 12 to 35 feet in diameter and sometimes 50 feet high made from branches forming the skeleton of the home with woven willow sheets attached in a circular pattern. These homes could be built large enough to hold multiple families or small enough to act as one-person saunas.
Photo Courtesy of Natasha Brennan (B.A.) from People of the Willow House , 2019
