The Tongva ( /ˈtɒŋvə/ TONG-və), also referred to as the Gabrieleño, Gabrielino, San Gabriel Band, the Fernandeño or Fernardino, and the Kizh Nation are an indigenous people of California, whose traditional territory is in present-day Los Angeles in Southern California, centered on the San Gabriel Mountains area. Their language, which became extinct during the 20th century, is a member of the Takic group within the Uto-Aztecan linguistic phylum.
The name Gabrieleño is in reference to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel set up by the Spanish colonists in 1771. Similarly, the Spanish referred to both the Tongva in the San Fernando Valley and the nearby Tataviam people, who spoke a different language, as Fernandeño, after the Mission San Fernando Rey de España.
Since 2006, there have been four organizations claiming to represent the Tongva: The Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe – also known as the "hyphen" group from the hyphen in their name, the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribe of the Los Angeles Basin – also known as the "slash" group, the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, and the Gabrieleño/Tongva Tribal Council of San Gabriel. Two of the groups are the result of a hostile split over the question of building an Indian casino.
Read more about Tongva: Name, Contemporary Tribe, Traditional Narratives, Toponymy, Notable Tongva People, See Also, References