Tongva Memorial

Tongva Memorial. . , 1542: First contact is made by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo of Spain. , 1602: Sebastian Vizcaíno arrives with Catholic Priests. , 1769: Don Gaspar de Portola arrives with Father Crespi. Crespi begins his diary. , 1770: Father Junípero Serra arrives from Mexico via Spain to establish the first missions. He is to forever change the way of the Tongva. , 1771: Fathers Somera and Cambon arrive. Missions San Gabriel and San Fernando are founded, and the name ‘Gabrielino’ is born. , 1781: El ciudad de la reina de Los Angeles (Los Angeles) is foundad. Tongva Indians already living there call it ‘Yangna.’ , , 1785: San Gabriel Mission Indians stage a revolt against the Spanish. Led by a female Chief, Toy Purina, the revolt is soon crushed by the Spanish. All Indians who participated in the revolt are either killed or exiled to Santa Barbara Island. , 1824: Mexico gains independence from Spain. Mexican culturalization of Gabrielino/Tongva Indians continues. Many Indian religious rights, customs, and languages (dialects) are lost. , 1833: Missions are secularized, and Indians are left to work on rancherias owned by Spanish soldiers and noblemen. In as little as two hundred years, a great and caring Indian culture has been almost virtually destroyed. , 1850: Few full blooded Gabrielino/Tongva Indians remain. Some intermarry with the Spanish. Some cultural artifacts of the tribe survive, such as clamshell bead money, waterproof baskets, and steatite jewelry, cooking vessels, bowls, and pipes. , 1900: Tribal elders struggle to keep the old traditions alive, continually meeting as a tribe in San Gabriel and Los Angeles. , 1994: The Gabrielino/Tongva Indians are recognized as the the Indigenous people of Los Angeles by the city of San Gabriel and the state of Callifonia. , The Tongva people have lived in the Los Angeles basin for hundreds of years and continue to do so. Two thousand years ago native people worked and lived where you are now standing. Further east along the bluff was another village site that native people used from about 900 years ago to the time the Spanish arrived. Some of the typical material culture items are displayed in a case in the library. , San Clemente, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, and Santa Catalina Islands, off the Los Angeles Coast, are important to the Gabrielino/Tongva people, thus their emphasis on the map. , The Legend of Torovim , A Tongva Chieftain was being pursued by an enemy tribe somewhere in Topanga – Where the Mountains Meet the Sea. He came to a cliff. Rather than submit to his captors, he dove into the sea. As he fell, he changed into the Dolphin, or Torovim - Our brother of the ocean. , He now swims around the world, staying ever vigilant and alert to ensure the safety of our people. It is his duty as caretaker of the ocean. And, when Torovim is no more, our people will also cease to be.