The First Californians -The Tongva / Gabrieleno Tribe of Los Angeles

Before the Europeans moved into the Los Angeles region of Southern California, the native peoples, the Tongva or Gabrieleno Native Americans called it their home for thousands of years. Gabrieleno is the name the Spanish gave them since they lived near the San Gabriel Arcangel mission. Like the Chumash tribe that lived from Malibu up the coast to Paso Robles, the Gabrieleno Indians used boats to navigate around the Pacific Ocean. They also lined their boats with tar that seeped from the ground around Los Angeles or sometimes used pitch from pine trees, thereby water proofing their vessels.

The boats were fairly large and were used to travel to neighboring tribes like the Chumash for trading. They also visited the Channel Islands that are located more than 20 miles off shore. As with all Native Americans, the Gabrieleno treated the environment with great respect and considered many sites sacred. One such site is a natural spring located on the western side of Los Angeles. This spring was re-discovered in the 1990s and was restored as a sacred site. The tribe has even started using it for ceremonies.

Since the native lands of the Gabrieleno is one of the most crowded cities in the country, it's no wonder that many of their sacred sites and burial grounds have been destroyed or disturbed by development. There is a site located on the campus of the California State University, Long Beach that used to house a Gabrieleno village and is believed to be a sacred place by the tribe. Developers have tried for years to use the land for development, but the tribe has been successful in winning court cases to preserve the land.

At the time of the Spanish mission development, it was estimated that the Gabrieleno population was somewhere around 5,000, but with the exposure to European disease, the population was reduced drastically. Today, there are approximately 1,500 members of the tribe remaining. Archaeologists have found several settlements and caches of stone tools that give some insight into their life ways, but little was ever written down about them, so most of their practices and beliefs are unknown. What is known has come from European accounts, archaeological artifacts and word of mouth from ancestors of the Gabrielenos. While we might not completely understand how they lived, we should appreciate that they lived a peaceful existence and used only what they needed to from the land and sea.