You are on Native Tongva Land, L.A. (video)

Hammer Museum (hammer.ucla.edu); Xochitl, Ananda (DMB), Wisdom Quarterly

We are the Native American descendants of the Kizh, Tongva, Gabrielenos of Los Angeles.

You Are on Tongva Land: Mercedes Dorame, Angela R. Riley, and Wendy Teeter

LA, OC, and San Diegocirca 500 years ago

Before it was "Los Angeles," it was Tongva, "The World" or the earth or ground of the local Native Americans, the indigenous people.

They were the American-Indians, related tribes comprised of the Kizh and other bands of First Nation peoples in the San Gabriel Valley and foothills, the San Fernando Valley, and Malibu. Modern Orange County was separated from what is now L.A. by the Santa Ana river,the great divide before the creation of the modern "Orange Curtain."

• Native Americans of the Greater LA Basin: Kizh/ Tongva, Gabrielenos, Chumash, Tataviam, Acjachemen (OC)...

Art has the power to transport us and to give insight into pressing cultural, political, and social questions. The Hammer's lectures, symposia, film series, readings, and performances aim to spark meaningful encounters with art and ideas. Many of these programs were recorded. This is one of the selected highlights. Find more on Hammer.UCLA.edu's YouTube channel to watch interviews with Hammer artists. More