The West Hollywood City Council on Monday approved a proposal brought forward by Councilmember John D’Amico and Mayor Lindsey Horvath that calls for the city to acknowledge the “history and presence of Indigenous peoples” on the land that now is home to West Hollywood.
The Council approved the proposal in a four-to-one vote. Councilmember John Duran, who grew up in Los Angeles and in a family with a Mexican heritage, objected that it didn’t acknowledge the contributions of Mexicans and the Spanish to the development of Los Angeles. Councilmember John Heilman voted for it, although he said “to me it just seems trivial, in a sense, because it is “not acknowledging the suffering of indigenous people and others.” Indeed, the West Hollywood part of a series of 1939 “security maps” of Los Angeles County that were intended to segregate communities notes the presence then of Mexican and Japanese people, which it described as having a “subversive racial influence.”
A memo to the Council about the proposal said that in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada “it is commonplace, even policy, to open events and gatherings by acknowledging the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of that land. This is often done at the beginning of ceremonies, lectures, or any public event. Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing recognition and respect, creating a broader public awareness of the history, and taking a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth.”
The memo describing the proposal said the acknowledgement would be posted on the city’s website, printed on City Council, commission, and advisory board agendas, and could be read aloud at official city events.
The memo notes that UCLA has a similar policy that acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples “as the traditional land caretakers” of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and South Channel Islands).
The Gabrielino Indians were the first inhabitants of the area known today as the City of West Hollywood. A report by LSA Associates on the historic and cultural significance of the land where the Melrose Triangle project is planned notes that “the name Gabrielino refers to the Uto-Aztecan (Takic) speaking Native Americans who lived throughout the present Los Angeles and Orange County areas and who were historically affiliated with Mission San Gabriel Archangel. Today, some of the Gabrielino prefer to call themselves by their traditional name, Tong-va.”
Those indigenous people already are asking that the City of West Hollywood engage them in certain development projects. In October of last year, a group identified as the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe sent a letter to City Hall saying it expected to be “actively participating in the tribal consultation process” with any development project that involved land excavation. It said it wanted to have a representative on site during any excavation to identify any tribal cultural resource that might be revealed. The letter alluded to the existence of another Native American group that it says has claimed the same right but it did not identify it by name.
Careful what you wish for, WeHo. I’ve witnessed it in Canada…it starts with this, pretty soon its self-hate all the time to the point where mention of the English language at a public event induces scowls of rage over colonialism. Many young people now feel traumatized by past events they had no control over, and its a source of constant animosity and self-loathing. Why don’t we instead spend time questioning how existent power structures cause misery? Perhaps we should look to the military companies in Southern California whose missiles end up in Yemeni school buses and weddings. Or the rampant… Read more »
To John Duran, only the most illiterate does not know what the Spainish brought to the Western Hemisphere (at it definitely was not something you want to brag about).
FYI, Mexico was here for all of 24 some years.Which means basically, it had zero to do with California. Los Angeles’s first settlers were black and mixed (including the last Gov. under Mexico, Pio Pico…even google can help the mentally challenged.
24 years? Which 24? The Spanish conquered Mexico in 1521, and began fusing with the native Mexican population. They then founded Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles in 1781. California became a state in 1850. Mexicans are still here. What have you got against Mexicans?
24 years? More like 24 DECADES.
Excuse me, did you not understand the part of Mexico controlling California for 24 years, not Spain. “Fusing” with Native Americans, that sounds like a delicate phrase for rape. Mexicans have no more claim to this land than Cherokees (North American Native Americans) to Mexico. But, that seems like a stretch to grasp for some. Moreover, “Two-thirds of the Mexican or (New Spain) settlers were mestizo or mulatto, a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry” There, thought I’d add to that Wikipedia post of yours. So, you see, they were not Mexican at all. The Native Americans nations that controlled this land… Read more »
Isn’t this fabulous. What the hell is the city council doing about rampant homelessness in Weho? Both those individuals down on their luck and the institutionally homeless and mentally ill that liter our street and yards. What the heck are they doing about Covid-19 unemployment and those that cannot pay their rent residentially or commercially. The city is in crisis. The council is using valuable city employees to draw acknowledgments to recognize indigenous people and their relationships to their traditional homeland. (Worthwhile perhaps, but not during a crisis.). So many issues in Weho. The counsel is a worthless bunch of… Read more »
This proposal on the face of it seems innocuous until one thinks where in West Hollywood is this Indian land located.Is Micky’s on top of sacred ground? Have I ever had a drink at Trunks unknowingly desecrating Indian graves? Will loud music at the Abbey wake up any Indian spirits? I have never seen a marker or plague with a description of what Indian tribes lived anywhere in the city.That there is a tribe called Gabriel/Tongva is news to me. I would like to know more about this proposal before it is formally adopted.I think councilman John Duran is correct… Read more »
Why should Mexicans be included when they basically did nothing? So what if they ran California for less than 24 years adding nothing. There was no long, great relationship of Mexicans in this part of California.