Siban’gna, The Healing Begins

By Jeanne Ferris

Under the visionary leadership of Chief Anthony Redblood Morales, the Gabrieleno Tongva Tribal Council has achieved a historic milestone: the first-ever land return from a church in Los Angeles, California. 

This sacred land, officially deeded on July 10, 2025, is now known as Siban’gna, a name that resonates with profound historical significance.

Tribal Community Outreach, Mona Morales Recaldes, explained the definition of Siban’gna.

“Siba” means the place of the stone and white earth. We believe that it could identify the San Gabriel Mountains–the terrain. “’nga” means the place of. In L.A., you will see ‘nga like Cahuenga, Topanga, Rancho Cucamonga, etc. Those are Tongva words.

Siban’gna marks a significant step in acknowledging and rectifying the historical injustices inflicted upon the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians.

After Spanish Contact

The Spanish Crown marked its first settlement in the area of San Gabriel with the founding of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel (the fourth in the California mission system) on September 8, 1771, by Franciscan priests.

The mission was built from cut stone, brick, and mortar by the hands and lives of the Gabrieleno Tongva people (approximately 6,000 were buried here) until its secularization in 1834.

Despite enduring violent subjugation and enslavement for 63 years, the San Gabriel Band has demonstrated astounding resilience.

Their displacement and later disenfranchisement as the original inhabitants of what is now called San Gabriel has not diminished their strength and determination.

The U.S. government’s policies of forced assimilation and the refusal to ratify treaties negotiated in the 1850s left them landless, along with 17 other California tribes.

Eisenhower’s administration in the 1950s effectively terminated federal recognition and land distributions.

Following this period, the San Gabriel Band found their ancestral lands identified as “redlined.”

Historically, real estate lenders created maps with red lines around “high-risk” areas, predominantly minority neighborhoods, to indicate areas to avoid for investment.

This discriminatory practice, known as redlining, had a profound impact on the San Gabriel Band, contributing to their marginalization and economic disparities.

The Fair Housing Act outlawed this practice, but its legacy continues to affect communities today.

Today, the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians are recognized by the State of California and local governments, including the City of Los Angeles.

As stated on the San Gabriel Band’s official website:

[a] state recognition resolution was only granted to the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians by the State of California in 1994, solidifying their integral role within the Southern California community.

Their legacy is well-documented in records from local Catholic Missions, city records, and archives of both Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

While cultural and historic sites abound throughout the County, the Tribal Headquarters remains near the San Gabriel Mission.

Unfortunately, the arduous task in petitioning for federal recognition continues, a crucial step that is vital for their future and the preservation of culture.

Federal recognition provides tribes with a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. government, granting them access to federal funding, resources, and services for programs like infrastructure, housing, health, and education, along with the protection of their sovereign status, lands, and property.

Recognized tribes also benefit from tax exemptions and have the right to govern themselves under the protection of a trust relationship with the federal government.

Chief Anthony shared his emotional reaction to the news of Siban’gna.

I didn’t know if I was hearing this right. I was in awe. I thought about all the years we’ve been involved in this property and the institutions [anchored here]. I thought about my mom. My dad. Wow. In the memory of our ancestors, I thought about how it was a gift from the church and how the healing could begin.

This return to their ancestral land has brought a renewed sense of hope and optimism to their community.

“To have a place where we can see the Elders’ connection with the youth is beautiful,” Tribal Historian Art Morales said. “We have seen so many transitions and have worked so hard in remaining here on our ancestral grounds.”

Tribal Secretary Kimberly Johnson added, “The transformation of taking ownership of this site has really empowered the youth. Coming out of Covid, depression hit them hard. You can really see the difference. Working in the garden with our Native plants has been really healing.”

In addition, Ms. Johnson currently serves as a community-elected commissioner for the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission.

She is the co-founder and Vice President of the newly formed Tongva Taraxaat Paxaavxa Conservancy and was instrumental in assisting with another step toward healing, as evidenced by the official words of great significance and acknowledgement on Los Angeles County’s website for the first time in 2023.

The County of Los Angeles recognizes that we occupy land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash Peoples.

We honor and pay respect to their elders and descendants — past, present, and emerging — as they continue their stewardship of these lands and waters.

We acknowledge that settler colonization resulted in land seizure, disease, subjugation, slavery, relocation, broken promises, genocide, and multigenerational trauma.

This acknowledgment demonstrates our responsibility and commitment to truth, healing, and reconciliation, and to elevating the stories, culture, and community of the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County.

We are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these ancestral lands. We are dedicated to growing and sustaining relationships with Native peoples and local tribal governments, including (in no particular order):

Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians

Gabrielino Tongva Indians of California Tribal Council

Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians

Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians – Kizh Nation

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

San Fernando Band of Mission Indians

May the children of tomorrow everywhere embrace this acknowledgement as historical truth and embody a more harmonious future for all concerned.

A Compassionate Gift

Siban’gna, located within one mile of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, is a half-acre sacred site of a territory that once expanded into the nether regions of Los Angeles, Orange County, and a portion of San Bernardino Counties, as well as the Southern Channel Islands.

A territory that also included Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, San Nicholas & San Clemente Islands.

This compassionate gift resulted from the synthesis of the San Gabriel Presbytery’s desire to “do good” and Ms. Recalde’s inspirational suggestion to give a gift of a practical nature.

She also serves within the San Gabriel Presbytery as an Elder.

Siban’gna features adobe-style, single story buildings that house offices, a kitchen, and a community space, along with an outdoor patio and a green belt.

Plans for Siban’gna include hosting cultural ceremonies to honor the ancestors, government meetings to discuss tribal matters, tribal youth programs to educate and empower the next generation, and a community food bank to support those in need.

These initiatives foster a sense of community and promote cultural healing and well-being.

Reverend Wendy Tajima, Executive Presbyter of the San Gabriel Presbytery for 21 years, shared her thoughts on the congregation’s unanimous approval.

I would say that this was a ‘God moment’ for the Presbytery of San Gabriel, as we celebrated the almost 80-year ministry on that site, which had to close, as sometimes community centers must do. We are so grateful to be able to recognize the unique opportunity we had to return the property, which was a reflection of our long-standing relationship with the tribe, our denomination’s focus on reparative justice, our appreciation for the historic significance of this particular property (proximity to the mission and the ancestral village), and the opportunity to give visibility to the tribe in a metropolis that has many Native residents but almost no awareness of the people who long inhabited this land before the Europeans, Americans, and Asians came.

The Presbytery of San Gabriel serves 39 communities of faith (approximately 6,455 members) worshiping weekly in nine languages.

To learn more about the First Peoples of Los Angeles County, please visit the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission website at lanaic.lacounty.gov.
Or at https://www.gabrieleno-nsn.us/