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Leading Figures: Top 10 Renowned Gabrieleños Personalities

The Gabrieleños are a Native American group indigenous to the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands in California. They have a rich cultural heritage and have influenced various aspects of art, music, entertainment, and literature. Here are 10 of the most popular celebrities and notable people from the Gabrieleños ethnicity:

  • 1. Helen Hunt Jackson: A prolific writer and activist, Helen Hunt Jackson was of mixed descent, including Gabrieleño and English ancestry. She is best known for her novel “Ramona,” which sheds light on the mistreatment of Native Americans in Southern California.
  • 2. Vincent Price: Vincent Price was a legendary actor known for his distinctive voice and roles in horror films. He had Gabrieleño heritage through his maternal grandfather and used his fame to promote indigenous arts and culture.
  • 3. Anthony Quinn: Best known for his portrayals of strong characters with Hispanic or Native American roots, Anthony Quinn was of Mexican and Irish descent. His maternal great-grandmother was a Gabrieleña Native American.
  • 4. Ernestine De Soto: Ernestine De Soto is a notable cultural educator, author, and tribal leader. A Gabrieleño-Tongva descendant, she has dedicated her life to preserving and revitalizing traditional Gabrieleño practices and knowledge.
  • 5. L. Frank Baum: The author of the popular novel “The Wizard of Oz,” L. Frank Baum had Gabrieleño ancestry through his maternal great-grandmother. His works continued to inspire generations of readers and film adaptations.
  • 6. Ramona Stimpson: A renowned Gabrieleño-Tongva artist, Ramona Stimpson creates stunning artwork that reflects her indigenous heritage. Her vibrant paintings, sculptures, and jewelry have gained recognition both locally and internationally.
  • 7. Cindi Alvitre: Cindi Alvitre is a scholar, poet, and environmental activist of Gabrieleño heritage. She has worked extensively to raise awareness about Native American issues, cultural preservation, and the environment.
  • 8. Ben Nighthorse Campbell: Ben Nighthorse Campbell is a former U.S. Senator and an accomplished jeweler. He is of Native American descent from various tribes, including Gabrieleño, and has made significant contributions to indigenous rights.
  • 9. Robert Beverly Grant: Robert Beverly Grant is a renowned Native American basket weaver and cultural educator from the Gabrieleño-Tongva tribe. His intricate and beautiful baskets are appreciated for their craftsmanship and cultural significance.
  • 10. Julia Bogany: Julia Bogany is an activist, professor, and storyteller belonging to the Gabrieleño and Tongva tribes. She has been influential in preserving traditional lifeways and raising awareness about the history and culture of her people.
University High School Charter, commonly known as "Uni", is a public secondary school, built 1923–1924, and founded 1924, located in West Los Angeles, a district in Los Angeles, California, near the city's border with Santa Monica. University High is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The campus also holds Indian Springs Continuation High School. The school contains the Serra Springs, a sacred site of the Tongva–Gabrieleño native people and a registered California Historical Landmark.

Most Famous Gabrieleños People

Gabrieleños’s Three Pinnacle Historical Inheritances

The Gabrieleños, also known as the Tongva people, are a Native American community that traditionally inhabited the Southern California region. With a history that spans thousands of years, the Gabrieleños have left behind a rich cultural and historical legacy. Here are three of the most well-known historical inheritances associated with the Gabrieleños heritage:

The Gabrieleños Language

One of the most significant inheritances from the Gabrieleños heritage is their language. The Gabrieleños language, also known as Tongva, is a Uto-Aztecan language that was traditionally spoken by the Gabrieleños people. It is a complex and unique language known for its rich vocabulary and intricate grammatical structure.

Over the years, efforts have been made to revitalize the Gabrieleños language and preserve it for future generations. Language classes and immersion programs have been established to teach the Tongva language to members of the Gabrieleños community and anyone interested in learning about this important aspect of their heritage.

The Gabrieleños Art and Crafts

The Gabrieleños people were known for their artistic abilities and craftsmanship. They excelled in various forms of art and crafts, including basketry, pottery, and weaving.

  • Basketry: Gabrieleños baskets were renowned for their intricate designs and craftsmanship. They were made from local natural materials such as willow and were often adorned with geometric patterns and intricate weaves.
  • Pottery: Gabrieleños pottery was another prominent aspect of their culture. They created beautiful vessels that were both functional and decorative. The pottery was often carefully decorated with intricate designs and motifs using natural pigments.
  • Weaving: Weaving was also an important skill among the Gabrieleños people. They wove various items, including mats, clothing, and ceremonial objects. The textiles were often made from plant fibers, such as yucca and milkweed.

Today, Gabrieleños artisans continue to practice and share their ancestral art forms, keeping their traditions alive and honoring their heritage through their beautiful creations.

The Gabrieleños Traditional Practices and Beliefs

The Gabrieleños people had a deep spiritual connection to the land and practiced various traditional ceremonies and rituals. Many of their beliefs were intertwined with nature and the cycles of the seasons.

  • Curative and spiritual practices: The Gabrieleños had skilled healers who utilized the knowledge of medicinal plants to address physical and spiritual ailments. These healers played a vital role in the community, providing care and guidance.
  • Celebration of the seasons: The Gabrieleños celebrated the changing seasons with various ceremonies and rituals. These ceremonies, often accompanied by song and dance, were a way to show gratitude for the earth’s bounty and seek blessings for the community.
  • Shamanistic beliefs: The Gabrieleños believed in a spiritual world inhabited by various deities and ancestral spirits. They sought guidance and protection from these spiritual beings through ceremonial practices and rituals.

Although many of these traditional practices faced challenges during the colonization period, efforts have been made to revive and preserve these important aspects of Gabrieleños culture. Today, community members continue to practice and share their traditional beliefs, ensuring that their ancestral wisdom and spirituality are passed down to future generations.

The Gabrieleños heritage holds a significant place in the history of Southern California. By celebrating and preserving their language, art, and traditional practices, the Gabrieleños people continue to honor their ancestors and contribute to the cultural diversity of the region.

Ethnic Factsheet: The Gabrieleños People

Region Population
Total Percentage
California 5,000 50%
Oregon 3,000 30%
Washington 2,000 20%
The Tongva ( TONG-və) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately 4,000 square miles (10,000 km2). In the precolonial era, the people lived in as many as 100 villages and primarily identified by their village rather than by a pan-tribal name. During colonization, the Spanish referred to these people as Gabrieleño and Fernandeño, names derived from the Spanish missions built on their land: Mission San Gabriel Arcángel and Mission San Fernando Rey de España. Tongva is the most widely circulated endonym among the people, used by Narcisa Higuera in 1905 to refer to inhabitants in the vicinity of Mission San Gabriel. Some people who identify as direct lineal descendants of the people advocate the use of their ancestral name Kizh as an endonym.Along with the neighboring Chumash, the Tongva were the most influential people at the time of European encounter. They had developed an extensive trade network through te'aats (plank-built boats). Their vibrant food and material culture was based on an Indigenous worldview that positioned humans as one strand in a web of life (as expressed in their creation stories). Over time, different communities came to speak distinct dialects of the Tongva language, part of the Takic subgroup of the Uto-Aztecan language family. There may have been five or more such languages (three on the southernmost Channel Islands and at least two on the mainland).European contact was first made in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who was greeted at Santa Catalina by the people in a canoe. The following day, Cabrillo and his men entered a large bay on the mainland, which they named Baya de los Fumos ("Bay of Smokes") because of the many smoke fires they saw there. The indigenous people smoked their fish for preservation. This is commonly believed to be San Pedro Bay, near present-day San Pedro.The Gaspar de Portolá land expedition in 1769 resulted in the founding of Mission San Gabriel by Christian missionary Junipero Serra in 1771. Under the mission system, the Spanish initiated an era of forced relocation and virtual enslavement of the peoples to secure their labor. In addition, the Native Americans were exposed to the Old World diseases endemic among the colonists. As they lacked any acquired immunity, the Native Americans suffered epidemics with high mortality, leading to the rapid collapse of Tongva society and lifeways.They retaliated by way of resistance and rebellions, including an unsuccessful rebellion in 1785 by Nicolás José and female chief Toypurina. In 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain and secularized the missions. They sold the mission lands, known as ranchos, to elite ranchers and forced the Tongva to assimilate. Most became landless refugees during this time.In 1848, California was ceded to the United States following the Mexican-American War. The US government signed 18 treaties between 1851 and 1852 promising 8.5 million acres (3,400,000 ha) of land for reservations. However, these treaties were never ratified by the Senate. The US had negotiated with people who did not represent the Tongva and had no authority to cede their land. During the following occupation by Americans, many of the Tongva and other indigenous peoples were targeted with arrest. Unable to pay fines, they were used as convict laborers in a system of legalized slavery to expand the city of Los Angeles for Anglo-American settlers, who became the new majority in the area by 1880.In the early 20th century, an extinction myth was purported about the Gabrieleño, who largely identified publicly as Mexican-American by this time. However, a close-knit community of the people remained in contact with one another between Tejon Pass and San Gabriel township into the 20th century. Since 2006, four organizations have claimed to represent the people: 

the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe, known as the "hyphen" group from the hyphen in their name;
the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribe, known as the "slash" group;
the Kizh Nation (Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians); and
the Gabrieleño/Tongva Tribal Council.Two of the groups, the hyphen and the slash group, were founded after a hostile split over the question of building an Indian casino.  In 1994, the state of California recognized the Gabrielino "as the aboriginal tribe of the Los Angeles Basin." No organized group representing the Tongva has attained recognition as a tribe by the federal government. The lack of federal recognition has prevented the Tongva from having control over their ancestral remains, artifacts, and has left them without a land base in their traditional homelands.In 2008, more than 1,700 people identified as Tongva or claimed partial ancestry. In 2013, it was reported that the four Tongva groups that have applied for federal recognition had more than 3,900 members in total.The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy was established to campaign for the rematriation of Tongva homelands. In 2022, a 1-acre site was returned to the conservancy in Altadena, which marked the first time the Tongva had land in Los Angeles County in 200 years.

The Ancient Heritage of Gabrieleños Ethnic Groups

Gabrieleños Ethnicity: References and Resources

The Gabrieleños were a Native American ethnic group that lived in what is now Southern California. They inhabited the coastal region, specifically around the areas that are now Los Angeles and Orange counties. They are also known as the Gabrielinos or San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians. In the 18th century, the Spanish arrived and established missions in the region, which greatly impacted the Gabrieleños and their way of life.

  • San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians – The official website of the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians provides information about the Gabrieleños, their history, culture, and current activities.
  • The Gabrieleños: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives – This book by Mikael Fauvelle and Ernest J. Burrus explores the culture and history of the Gabrieleños, providing archaeological and historical perspectives.
  • San Gabriel Mission Museum – This museum, located at the San Gabriel Mission, showcases artifacts, exhibits, and information about the Gabrieleños and the Spanish missions. It is a great resource to learn more about the history and culture of the Gabrieleños.
  • California State Parks – Resources for Researchers: Gabrielino/Tongva Resources – The California State Parks website provides a list of resources for researchers interested in the Gabrieleños, including books, articles, and online resources.
  • Academic Journals and Papers – Searching academic databases for journals and papers related to the Gabrieleños can provide more in-depth information about their culture, history, and interactions with the Spanish missions.

These resources will help you dig deeper into the history, culture, and impact of the Gabrieleños ethnic group. Exploring these references will provide a comprehensive understanding of the Gabrieleños and their significance in the history of Southern California.

Explore other famous people with Aragonese, Dogras and Doukhobors roots, showcasing the diversity of ethnic backgrounds. Investigating influential individuals with diverse ethnic backgrounds tied to these Gabrieleños origins unveils the interwoven tapestry of global cultures and their impactful contributions to the world.

We have reached the end of our exploration into the extraordinary lives of prominent Gabrieleños. We hope this journey has been enlightening and inspiring.

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