American Indian Heritage Month

A map of Los Angeles does not tell the story of its people. This story includes layered, sedimented cultural geographies of indigenous Los Angeles that includes the Tongva and Tataviam who struggle for recognition of their sacred spaces, American Indians who were removed from their lands and displaced through governmental policies of settler colonialism. Los Angeles has the largest indigenous population of any city in the US. While many would argue that there is not one Los Angeles but multiple LAs, what is less known is that there are multiple indigenous LAs, whose histories are layered into the city’s fabric. In a megalopolis like Los Angeles, these Indigenous stories are often invisible to residents, policymakers, and even the city’s notion of itself.

The Digital Atlas of California Native Americans was created at the California Department of Parks and Recreation with financial support from the DRAM Antitrust Settlement. It is an online multimedia tool designed to help students and the public visualize California before, during, and after European occupation. The focus is on the Native American experience, including map layers and informational pages. The Atlas consists of five main parts: The Atlas Map, the Cultural Portals, the Tribal Atlas Pages, the Natural Resource Atlas Pages, and the Regional Timelines.