The Pasadena Public Library and the Tongva community are teaming up on Tuesday, November 17, to educate members of the public about the history of the Tongva community and how they shaped Pasadena and its surrounding areas.
In this online event, “Journey with the Tongva: People of the Earth,” Tongva community member Julia Bogany will share more about the tribe as well as answer any questions from participants.
The program is from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
The Gabrieleno-Tongva people occupied much of what is now the LA Basin, as well as the Channel Islands. Their territory stretched over 2,500 square miles, and many of their descendants still live in the area today.
The Gabrieleno-Tongva lived in communities based on family ties, a notion that is still important to the Gabrieleno-Tongva today. Multiple communities organized themselves into larger groups that governed social, political, and economic interactions.
Primarily hunter-gatherers, the Gabrieleno-Tongva tribe changed location within the seasons, while the communities on the islands and coastline used canoes, called “tiats,” to go deep-sea fishing. “Kiiy,” the Gabrieleno-Tongva houses, were made of white willow and tule reeds on the mainland, while coastal kiiy were made of whale bones and reeds.
The Gabrieleno-Tongva people have a rich oral history full of legends and stories.
Julia Bogany is a member of the Tongva tribal council and is their cultural consultant. She has worked for over 30 years for the American Indian community teaching Tongva language and cultural classes. She is President of Kuruvanga Springs, a representative for California tribes on Route 66, a member of the California Native American College (CNAC) board) and is the Pitzer College Elder in Residence.
Bogany teaches native culture and history and women’s issues at the Claremont Colleges including Scripps, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and the Claremont School of Theology.
In September 2010, she received the Heritage Award from the Aquarium of the Pacific at their sixth annual Native American festival, Moompetam. She has also been nominated for Coastal Commission for the State of California and is a stakeholder consultant of 200 parks in Los Angeles County.
The event will be presented via Zoom. After you register, a link to join will be sent to your email.
To register, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/
