Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy

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Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy
PurposeLand return to the Indigenous peoples of the greater Los Angeles County area
Website tongva.land

The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy is an Indigenous urban land trust that formed with the objective to return or repatriate land to self-identified Tongva descendants in the greater Los Angeles County area. [1] [2] [3] It was inspired by the work of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and has been associated with the Land Back movement. [4] The conservancy is notable for its part in the return of Tongva land in Los Angeles County for the first time in nearly 200 years. [2] [5] The trust developed a kuuy nahwá’a or "guest exchange" program for people who live and work in the tribe's traditional homelands to financially support the land trust's goals. [6]

Contents

Background

The Tongva experienced genocide and displacement from their lands known as Tovaangar since the arrival of settlers in the Los Angeles Basin area, which began with the Spanish mission period in the 18th century. The Spanish Empire founded Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in 1771, which became the site of displaced peoples and violence. [2]

In the 19th century, following the American conquest of California in the Mexican–American War, soldiers and settlers carried out state-sanctioned genocidal massacres on the Indigenous peoples throughout the state known as the California genocide. [7] [8] Indigenous peoples concealed their identities among Mexican communities to keep their communities and cultures alive. [3] In 1852, treaties that would have ensured about one-half of the current area of Los Angeles County for the tribe received hostility from settlers, who lobbied to prevent the treaties from being ratified. [9] [10]

Without federal recognition, the Tongva remained without a land base and have been effectively landless in their own traditional homelands for hundreds of years. [2]

Formation

Part of the work of the land trust is to protect white sage plants in Southern California. Salvia apiana 1c.JPG
Part of the work of the land trust is to protect white sage plants in Southern California.

The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy was established in 2021 and received nonprofit status in January 2022. [1] [2] [12] [13] Its formation is part of an effort to return land throughout the traditional homelands of the Tongva to the tribe. [2] [3]

The objectives of the conservancy are to steward and heal the lands by returning native plants to areas that have been overrun by invasive species, to protect the theft and destruction of wild white sage plants, and to build community toward supporting tribal members and cultural practices. [14] The trust has also developed a kuuyam nahwá’a or "guest exchange" program for people who live and work in the tribe's traditional homelands to support the land trust's goals. [6]

History

The first land return was from a private resident of a 1-acre property (0.40 ha) in Altadena, California, in October 2022. [15] The return was notable for being the first time the tribe had land anywhere in Los Angeles County in nearly 200 years. [2] A grant to restore the sage scrub ecosystem was awarded in 2023 by the Wildlife Conservation Board. [16]

References

  1. 1 2 Ogilvie, Jessica P. (October 10, 2022). "Why A Property Worth Millions Was Returned To The Tongva Tribe". LAist. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Valdez, Jonah (October 10, 2022). "After nearly 200 years, the Tongva community has land in Los Angeles County". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 The Challenges and Opportunities for Rematriating Tovaangar - Wallace Cleaves on YouTube
  4. ↑ Golden, Kate (December 13, 2022). "How Indigenous People Got Some Land Back in Oakland". Bay Nature. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ Joseph, Jisha (October 11, 2022). "Los Angeles' first people, the Tongva community, have land in the county once again after 189 years". Upworthy. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Support the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy". Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Dangelantonio, Matt (October 6, 2021). "What To Know About Land Acknowledgment, And Why It's Deeper Than Just A Statement". LAist. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ Adhikari, Mohamed (2022). Destroying to replace: settler genocides of indigenous peoples. Critical themes in world history. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 72–115. ISBN   978-1-64792-054-8. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  9. ↑ Bauer Jr., William J. (2016). The Oxford handbook of American Indian history. Frederick E. Hoxie. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 286–88. ISBN   978-0-19-985889-7. OCLC   920944737.
  10. ↑ "Tongva Return the Land Fund". Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Designing for Green Justice: Centering Indigenous Land Access, Stewardship, and Return & Protect White Sage Campaign". ArtCenter College of Design. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ Suozzo, Andrea; Glassford, Alec; Ngu, Ash; Roberts, Brandon (May 9, 2013). "Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy". CauseIQ. April 7, 2025. Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ Campus, Quaker (November 28, 2022). "Tongva People and the Connection to Whittier College". The Quaker Campus. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ Plevin, Rebecca (January 19, 2025). "The Tongva's land burned in Eaton fire. But leaders say traditional practices mitigated damage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Grant Award Leads to Historic Acquisition by California's First Black-led Land Conservation Organization". CDFW News. California Department of Fish and Wildlife. August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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