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Did Lopez know that the Gabrieleno/Tongva were approached by this "impressario", and literally chased him out because he wanted to cheapen their cultural revival with his sordid gambling aspirations? No, Lopez failed to determine this crucial fact. Did Lopez find out about the late and honored elders, who worked for decades to navigate the odious mechanism of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, trying to get federal educational and health care benefits that would be due the Gabrieleno/Tongva if they were able to compete for them, by achieving "federal recognition"? Did
Lopez inquire about the grants, about how Hon. Rep. Hilda Solis introduced
HR2619, about how hard the Tribe worked to get the bill out of Hansen's
committee, about how the chances for the bill were killed by this non-Tongva
"impressario" approaching lawmakers and bragging about how much
money he could spend on No, Lopez failed to find this out. Did Lopez imagine that the Tongva dancers, during their appearance at Kuruvungna this year, a sacred spring saved by the hard work of Tom Hayden and Marvin Braude, a crucial part of the cultural revival of ceremonial dance, were served with a frivolous lawsuit by the "impressario" and his minions? No, Lopez blundered on, relying on the words of the false gambling "impressario", defaming and slandering, in my opinion, the honorable and long-suffering Tongva. Yes, the "impressario" has recruited 4 legitimate Tongva for his evil schemes, but perhaps they will now reconsider and rejoin the rest of the Tribe, and all its factions, in opposition to the "impressario". Steve Lopez comes up with many more false impressions, unfortunately, retailing them in the pages of the L.A. Times. You will see one of the many benefits the Gabrieleno/Tongva offer to all of us in the current "Treepeople" magazine, where the importance of the Tongva Dancers and their free performances is featured. But only one of many dozens of laudatory references to the real aims of the Tribe to revive their culture, almost wiped out by the Mission period, by the incursions of 1848-1851, by Indian Indenture, by the long period in which being known as Indian was to put your very life at risk. What other people would put their own pain aside to share their rich and maligned culture, their native plant lore, their reverence for the land, their respect for sacred places and their ancestors? Instead of finding out about the people and culture that went before, that still care for the land, Lopez sneers that the Tongva are reduced to perhaps only 400 members. If he only knew how difficult it was for those few to survive, and revive their culture. Lopez is not alone in his ignorance. 50 years in the Los Angeles area still leaves many of us ignorant of the people who belong here, who lived here for thousands of years. If it had not been for the Tongva such as Chief Morales, Mark Acuna, Linda Gonzalez, Angie Behrens, and so many other generous, helpful Tongva and Acjachemen, I too would have remained ignorant of these cultural values. The only reason I found out was when the Tongva fought so hard to protect their sacred graves on top of the hellman mesa in Seal Beach. Every week, teachers write to the Tongva, asking for more information, so that school children can learn about this hidden history, and learn about a truly mature and wise -- and forgiving -- people who have a lot to offer all of us. You
can write to Steve Lopez: Sincerely, Doug
Korthof (not a Tongva)
The highland now known as Seal Beach was close to the legendary village
of Puvungna, located where Cal State Long Beach is now. Puvungna was the
center of origin of a system of rites and ceremonies influential throughout
what is now Southern California. The estuary of the great San Gabriel
River was at the heart of trading Back to T.O.C. 3
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