Acknowledging the Traditional Land Caretakers of Tovaangar

November is National Native American Heritage Month in the United States. As an institution of higher learning, UCLA acknowledges the importance of talking about indigenous peoples and lands in the present, not as relics of the past.

In 2019, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and Michuana Goeman, at the time the newly appointed special advisor to the chancellor on Native American and Indigenous affairs, sent a message to the UCLA community detailing how important it was for the UCLA community to “prioritize respect for both the historic culture and the contemporary presence of American Indians throughout California, and especially in the Los Angeles area.”

Since then, UCLA Anderson, along with our colleagues across campus, make it a point to note that we are a public and land grant institution. We acknowledge that our campus resides on what was historically the homeland of Indigenous peoples who were dispossessed of their land. In particular, we recognize the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands). We pay our respects to Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

The UCLA American Indian Studies Center publishes a monthly spotlight on Indigenous students, staff, faculty and alumni in a series called Native Bruins. Throughout November, the center kept the campus apprised of a number of events celebrating National Native American Heritage Month, including screenings of the acclaimed streaming series Reservation Dogs, the launch of artist Jeffrey Gibson’s new book An Indigenous Present and a discussion about cultural expression in Indigenous art and design hosted by UCLA School of Law’s Nations Law and Policy Center.