TONGVA ARTIST TALK

TUESDAY, SEPT. 22ND 3PM PST / 6PM, EST

Join us for an afternoon discussion with two Tongva artists: MERCEDES DORAME is a Tongva artist who uses her cultural history to engage problematics of (in)visibility and ideas of cultural construction. RIVER TIKWI GARZA is also a Los Angeles Tongva artist and a member of the Ti’at Society. Garza’s work draws on traditional Indigenous aesthetics, Southern California Indigenous maritime culture, graffiti, Xicanx culture, and the Los Angeles urban experience.

Register: https:// uclatongvaartiststalk.eventbrite.com

CALIFORNIA NATIVE VOICES THROUGH POETRY

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25TH 3PM PST / 6PM, EST

California Native American Day is celebrated each year on the fourth Friday of September. This state holiday serves not only to recognize tribal people, but also to teach about California tribal cultures, histories and heritage. For the first time, UCLA’s American Indian Studies Center will commemorate California Native American Day by hosting a Zoom poetry event featuring local tribal poets: EMILY CLARKE from the Cahuilla tribe and KELLY CABALLERO and MEGAN DORAME from the Tongva tribe. Each poet will share knowledge of their language, culture and traditional life of contemporary California Native women. They will illuminate issues facing their communities, as well as the perseverance of their cultures.

Register: https://californianativepoetry.eventbrite.com

This September we are highlighting Native Bruin Carlie Domingues from the Chumash tribe.

"In my time living and studying in Tovaangnar at UCLA, I experienced the extent to which American infrastructure has destroyed Tongva livelihood. Although I yearned to see Gabrieleno Tongva people thrive and succeed in their culture and their homelands, I bore witness, instead, to American infrastructure built over critical resources, such as riparian ecosystems and former oak woodlands. I am grateful to the Tongva, Tatavium and Ajachamen relatives that I did spend time with to learn about their current experiences and quests for cultural revitalization and revival of healthy waterways in their homelands. I learned that although the violence and destruction has been harmful, current Gabrieleno Tongva continue to envision and work towards a Tovaangnar with healthy people, flowing rivers and clean oceans."

UCLA AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES CENTER

The UCLA American Indian Studies Center (AISC) was founded in 1969 as a research institute dedicated to addressing American Indian issues and supporting Native communities. The AISC serves as a hub of activities for Indigenous students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community, as well as serving as a bridge between the academy and indigenous peoples locally, nationally, and internationally. We foster innovative academic research by students and faculty, publish leading scholarship in the field of American Indian Studies, and support events and programming focused on Indigenous issues.

If you are a subscriber, you should have received an email from Publications Assistant Cheyenne Suzukawa (editorial-assist@aisc.ucla.edu) asking you to send updated IP lists to ensure a smooth transition. She also sent instructions explaining how to reset your passwords.

If you have not received this email, please reach out to Cheyenne at the email address above in case we have an outdated address for you. Continue to email PinnacleSupport@AllenPress.com and copy Pamela Grieman at grieman@ucla.edu if you experience access problems. Please be patient during the transition—the new bells and whistles will be worth it!

American Indian Studies Center Library

The AISC librarian is preparing for the fall term and invites incoming and continuing students to email her at jholland@aisc.ucla.edu expressing interest in two library introduction sessions, which will be held during the first three weeks of the term. She will cover finding digital resources, borrowing books on campus, and using reserve materials, and will offer helpful tips for navigating the term from a distance. Dates TBD based on response and polled dates. The library looks forward to helping you navigate this year! Reach out, email Joy, and listen in!

Students and patrons concerned about Indigenous materials, Indigenous agency, and Indigenous subject matter in archives might be interested in the upcoming Mellon-sponsored conference hosted by the American Philosophical Society. The conference spans five days and will focus on the theme, "Relationships, Reciprocity, and Responsibilities: Indigenous Studies in Archives and Beyond" from September 21–25, 2020. Information about the program can be found here https://www.amphilsoc.org/nasi2020#paragraph-1702.

The AISC librarian has been volunteering and collecting data related to Native land repatriation for the nonprofit organization, Return California. The organization is hosting an upcoming event, the second in a series of “Listening Circle” events this summer, which is open to the public. The series focuses on Native land repatriation. The first event in the series this summer addressed land trust initiatives featuring Valentin Lopez, chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band since 2003, and the president of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.

The next Return California event will focus on traditional ecological knowledge and building Indigenous land trusts for sovereignty and will be hosted by Ali Meders-Knight, Mechoopda Citizen, who was recently featured on North State Public Radio regarding wildfires, Indigenous knowledge and other matters. Click here https:// www.mynspr.org/post/qa-ali-meders-knight-mechoopdaindian-tribe#stream/0 for more information.