“We can put on every sign, we are still here, and people will gloss over it. But if we put pictures of our current families, that cements that we are still literally here.” -FTBMI Tribal Elder
On October 7, TLC spent the day at Rudy Ortega Sr. Park with a group of FTBMI Tribal Citizens. Despite the heat, it was a cheerful occasion, with kids, teens, parents, and elders laughing and cracking jokes. They were there to talk about TLC’s project, funded by the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority, to build a series of interpretive signs along the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries and raise awareness about the Fernandeño Tataviam people.
The focus group started off with asking everyone in the group a simple question: Have you seen any signs in the San Fernando Valley that talk about the FTBMI? More specifically, Have you seen any signs that are accurate and representative of the Tribe as it is today? Most people in the room couldn’t think of a single solid example. Existing signs were either inaccurate or described the Tribe in the past tense, reinforcing the false perception that tribal people are extinct.
In Los Angeles County, many decades of tribal advocacy have led to an increase in tribal recognition through land acknowledgements and place renaming. However, studies show that much of the knowledge non-tribal people have about tribal communities remains surface level, lacking real depth or challenges to the status quo. Los Angeles has the second largest Native population in the United States. Yet, most people living in the San Fernando Valley are unaware of the FTBMI and other California tribes who still live here, rendering Native people practically invisible in their own homelands.
In a survey, Tribal Citizens were asked, Why is Tribal signage culturally significant to you? The responses were resounding:
“It shows that the FTBMI community is not a relic of the past but is ever-evolving in the modern day.”
“It shows and reminds people that our ancestors once took care of these lands and that we continue to fight to be able to do so again.”
“Our Tribal PRIDE needs to be celebrated!”
“To honor our ancestors, present day Tataviam citizens, & generations to come. Because we will always be here.”
TLC plans to install signs in important village areas throughout the San Fernando Valley by 2026. Placed in highly visited public parks, these signs will speak to the surrounding landscape and the many layers of Tribal history and stories contained in them. Created by and for the Fernandeño Tataviam, these signs will showcase the Tribe’s the past, present, and future, offering new perspectives to the public and opening doors for meaningful conversation and transformation.
