Heirs of the original inhabitants of the Los Angeles Basin had no territory of their own for almost 200 years.
Two years prior, a one-acre plot on the outskirts of Altadena, adorned with oak trees and vegetation, became the first land restituted to the Tongva tribe. We finally possess a venue to conduct traditional rituals, community meetings, and various events.
The wildfire that ignited in the hills adjacent to Eaton Canyon on January 7 had charred over 14,000 acres by Friday, inflicting considerable damage to the property, including the destruction of an old stone dwelling and garage.
Nonetheless, as asserted by the Tongva Taraksat Pashavsha Conservancy, a nonprofit organization committed to the rehabilitation and preservation of the lands and cultural legacy of the Tongva people in the Los Angeles region, had it not been for the Indigenous practices employed on this territory, damages could have been even more catastrophic.
The president of the conservation group, Wallace Cleaves, attributes the mitigation of wildfire effects to traditional management strategies, including the removal of 97 eucalyptus trees that posed a fire risk.
Wallace Cleaves, chair of the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy, asserts that traditional management measures, such as the elimination of 97 hazardous eucalyptus trees, have alleviated the severity of the wildfires.
(Myung Jae-chun/Los Angeles Times)
“It is highly probable that efforts to eradicate invasive or perilous species on the land have minimized the destruction, and the vegetation that thrives there may be capable of recovering with little detriment. “We are convinced of it,” he stated.
For millennia, the Tongva tribe flourished in the San Gabriel Mountains. The canyon supplied plentiful food and functioned as a trading route among distant Indigenous societies. Nevertheless, by the early 20th century, the Tongva lost their ancestral territory in Southern California after being forcibly removed and enslaved by successive Spanish, Mexican, and white American colonizers.
Lacking federal acknowledgment or reservations, they have pursued the return of available land through a “land restitution” movement, Cleaves and conservancy leader Charles Sepulveda mentioned in a Bloomberg article in 2021, which I chronicled in a 2016 piece.
“We require areas to gather food, medicine, and sacred plants without the anxiety of arbitrary regulations introduced by a land management system that wields excessive authority over the territory. The situation is dire, as it continues to ignite relentlessly,” they expressed. “We need spaces that allow us to unify and rejuvenate our identity, culture, and communities.”
Currently, the one-acre plot, which establishes a renewed bond with the Tongva tribe, is owned by Sharon Alexander, whose family constructed a Spanish ranch-style home on the wooded land in 1931. Alexander, who had been renting out the property, relinquished the land after understanding its ancestral significance. It was returned to the Tongva people in 2022.
Since that time, the Tongva community has been making efforts to rehabilitate the land utilizing traditional ecological wisdom and enhancing it for community congregation.
In addition to the eucalyptus trees’ removal, Cleaves mentioned that they have also planted 50 mature oak trees and cleared substantial amounts of old firewood and assorted debris. Cultural burning, another traditional land management technique, remains unimplemented on their territory due to permitting challenges.
“Our responsibility is to carefully manage the land, the flora, and fauna we oversee,” Cleaves remarked. “We have thus committed significant resources to restore as much Indigenous habitat as feasible.”
Cleaves has been unable to access the area since the wildfires devastated Eaton Canyon and ravaged significant portions of Altadena. However, he suspects that the ranch house remains largely intact based on publicly available photographs. No one occupied the site.
He mentioned that although some oak trees appear damaged, many still showcase green leaves. The oak is a sacred plant among the Tongva people, whose acorns constitute a fundamental element of traditional diets.
“We are well-versed in oak and recognize its remarkable resilience,” he stated. “We are optimistic that the majority of oak trees will recuperate from this incident, continue to thrive, and remain integral to our community.”
Bobcats, coyotes, and bears have also roamed the area. He is unsure of their current fate.
Mr. Cleaves expressed his hope that the Tongva people would be permitted to return to the land for ceremonies later this year.
“When reflecting on Indigenous-led initiatives, such as cultural burning and other styles of Indigenous management, they significantly contribute to mitigating climate change and fostering resilience,” stated Nina Fontana, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, which concentrates on Indigenous land management.
Two years prior, this one-acre piece of land in Altadena was the inaugural ancestral site returned to the Tongva community after nearly two centuries.
(Myung Jae-chun/Los Angeles Times)
As the Los Angeles area starts to recuperate and reconstruct following the catastrophic wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, Fontana emphasized the necessity for state and federal entities to collaborate with tribal populations to integrate indigenous insights. She remarked that methods like cultural burning are specific to locations and evolve around distinct landscapes and ecosystems.
“It’s crucial to heed indigenous perspectives and recognize that the wisdom of local communities spans thousands of years,” she states. “I believe that listening and applying that knowledge is fundamentally vital for the future of wildfire management.”
This piece is part of the Times’ Equity Reporting Initiative, financed by the James Irvine Foundation, which investigates the issues confronting low-income laborers and the initiatives aimed at addressing California’s economic inequalities.