9,000 Years Later. . .


By Lydia Poncé

The Gabrielino/Tongva tribes await federal recognition. The priceless proof is in the remains found at the Catellus West Bluffs. History repeats itself, yet again.


Get out the federal rules, regs and law; try to apply these to the indigenous of this area, the landless and the poor. What’s it going to take for the self-appointed, thieves in power, Euro-Anglo (that’s non-indigenious) to learn from the past? The crimes of centuries that have been committed – cultural rape, genocide and oppression have not been properly tried!

Presently, I do not know of any family, tribe, or organization, for that matter, that exists without disputes or conflicts. So, it’s going to take a creative solution if the pro and anti-gambling circles of Gabrielinos/Tongvas are going to work out their vision for their future. I hope my vision assists them since time is of essence and only people in power can afford to buy time.

Resolution: If the pro-gaming half-circle was allowed to deal with the bureaucratic b.s. and paperwork, they should go for it! This U.S. of A. is making the Native Californians wait for the stamp of what? Authenticity? Approval? Seal of importance? If LOS ORGINALES DE ESTAS TIERRAS were to gain power by becoming ‘income independent’ from the forces that be, it would assist in preserving their culture and their heritage! The anti-gaming half-circle may then have the freedom to fight their future! Fight genocide! They would have access to health, legal and educational services. If there was a need for a tribal hall or cultural center, there would be no need to wait for federal or state funds to build it!

As for the developers of the 114-home project on the bluffs, I question if they should disturb the ancestors who were here long ago. Nature will take its course, as it usually does, and will win the battle against men who try to harness, change or alter her.


“The white man does not understand.
One portion of land is the same to him as the next,
for he is a wanderer who comes in the night
and borrows from the land whatever he needs.
The earth is not his brother, but his enemy,
and when he has won the struggle,
he moves on.
He leaves his father’s graves behind, and he does not care.
He kidnaps the earth from his children.
And he does not care.
The father’s graves and the children’s birthright are forgotten by the white man,
who treats his mother earth and brother sky
as things to be bought, plundered, and sold,
like sheep, bread, or bright beads.
In this way, the dogs of appetite will devour the rich earth
and leave only a desert.”

‘How Can One Sell the Air?’
Chief Seattle’s Vision
1854, published 1887
Native Voices
The Book Publishing Co., Summertown,TN

Posted: Fri - August 1, 2003 at 08:13 PM          


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