LA County Board of Supervisors Makes History with First Ever Native American Land Acknowledgement

LOS ANGELES — On her first day as chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Janice Hahn read a Native American land acknowledgement, marking a historic first for Los Angeles County. The text recognizes the historic injustices suffered by the First Peoples of what is now Los Angeles County.

“A little over a year ago the County of Los Angeles embarked on an intentional and transparent process to create a Countywide Land Acknowledgement that would be developed and approved by local Tribes,” said Alexandra Valdes, Executive Director of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission. “Today’s Board Meeting marking the first time the adopted Land Acknowledgement was read was profound. To hear truths about what is now known as Los Angeles County spoken in the Board Room by Chair Hahn, truths that have been pushed aside for far too long will resonate not just within those walls but throughout the County.”

The inclusion of the land acknowledgement was spurred by a recent motion authored by Supervisor Hilda Solis and co-authored by Supervisor Hahn, and was crafted in collaboration with the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission and local tribes.

The land acknowledgement will open all future meetings of the Board of Supervisors. After the first land acknowledgement Dec. 6, an invocation was offered by President Rudy Ortega Jr. and Vice President Mark Villaseñor of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. The invocation included a brief song and a blessing.

“It was my honor to be able to share our culture and the history of my people among our Board of Supervisors,” said Tribal President Rudy Ortega Jr.

“It is really meaningful to us that the Board of Supervisors asked my tribe, the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, to do the invocation on such a special day,” said Tribal Vice President Mark Villaseñor.

Both are members of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission, which coordinates city and county resources to meet the needs of Los Angeles County’s Native American communities.

“I’m proud that we made history here at the Board of Supervisors, and are recognizing the serious injustices and pain that the First People here suffered. It’s part of our history, and we need to name it,” said Supervisor Hahn. “And the invocation today that President Ortega and Vice President Villaseñor gave was a beautiful reminder that the tribal communities native to LA County not only persevered but continue to uplift their cultures and traditions.”

Find the full text of the land acknowledgement here: Land Acknowledgment – COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES (lacounty.gov).