Fernandeño
The Fernandeño are a Native American group traditionally located in the northern areas of San Diego County and southern Orange County, specifically the San Fernando Valley in modern-day Los Angeles County, California. They are part of the Tongva peoples and speak a dialect of the Gabrielino language, which belongs to the Uto-Aztecan language family. Historically, the Fernandeño lived in domed, circular huts capable of accommodating large extended families, and they engaged in activities such as basket weaving and basic agriculture, reflecting their connection to the coastal environment.
The spiritual beliefs of the Fernandeño centered around a deity named Chingichngish, and they practiced shamanism, which included various roles such as healers and rainmakers. Despite significant disruptions to their culture and lifestyle, the Fernandeño continue to inhabit the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas, actively seeking federal recognition and engaging in initiatives that support their community and heritage. In recent years, they have taken steps to protect their ancestral lands through an agreement with the California State Park system and work on language revitalization programs. The Fernandeño's efforts underscore their commitment to preserving their cultural identity and addressing social and environmental issues within their community.
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Fernandeño
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southern California
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Hokan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Northern San Diego County, Southern Orange County
The Fernandeño are among the California Indigenous groupings that once occupied the area of modern-day Los Angeles County, specifically the northern valley areas or present San Fernando Valley. In the twenty-first century, they remained in relatively the same area. Their nearby neighbors, the Gabrielino, also had villages on Catalina, Santa Barbara, San Nicolas, and San Clemente. The name “Fernandeño,” like the Gabrielino, derives from the people who surrounded the San Fernando Mission, one of the early Catholic missionary stations founded in the Southern California region. Fernandeño speak a dialect, also called Fernandeño, of the Gabrielino language, which is part of the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan language family.
Little is known of either Gabrielino or Fernandeño life because their traditional lifestyle and ideologies were decimated before trained recorders were available to record aspects of their life. It is known that their homes were domed, circular huts with thatched roofs, and reports indicate that some of these dwellings were large enough to hold fifty people.
The noted anthropologist of the California Indigenous groups, Alfred Kroeber, estimated that the Fernandeño and Gabrielino combined totaled approximately 5,000 in 1770. California Indigenous Americans are generally not to be understood as “nations” but rather “nation groups” of perhaps a hundred persons at most, usually not all of them permanent members, which surrounded a centrally recognized permanent village. The Fernandeño shared many common cultural traits with other village communities up and down the California coast, including artistry in basket weaving, basic agriculture, and architecture. Like other Southern California Indigenous peoples in the region’s near-tropical climate, the Fernandeño typically dressed very lightly.
As with the Gabrielino, Fernandeño religious expressions were mainly focused on the belief system surrounding the god Chingichngish, who was also recognized among related peoples such as the Luiseño and the Serrano. There was a fully developed shamanism, whose members were rainmakers, finders of lost objects, and healers (and instigators) of illness.
In the twenty-first century, the primary concentration of Fernandeño people remained in Los Angeles County, specifically in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and Antelope Valley. The Fernandeño continued to seek federal recognition for their nation but, in the meantime, also pursued several other social, educational, and environmental initiatives. For example, the nation oversaw the Tataviam Land Conservancy, which sought to protect their traditional lands. They provided community services for their members through the Pukúu Cultural Community Services, a nonprofit organization. The Fernandeño worked to revitalize their language through programs such as Language through Songs. In 2023, the Fernandeño signed an agreement with the California State Park system to cooperate in managing the nation’s ancestral lands using modern and Indigenous efforts and knowledge.
Bibliography
Bean, Lowell John, and Charles Smith. "The Gabrielino (and Fernandeño)." Southwest, edited by Alfonso Ortiz. Vol. 9, in Handbook of North American Indians, edited by William Sturtevant. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1978.
"Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians." Alliance for California Traditional Arts, actaonline.org/profile/fernandeno-tataviam-band-of-mission-indians. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
"Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians." California Native American Heritage Commission, nahc.ca.gov/cp/tribal-atlas-pages/fernandeno-tataviam-band-of-mission-indians. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
"Fernandeño Tataviam Tribe Signs Historic Agreement with California State Parks." California State Parks, 30 Nov. 2023, www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1231. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
"History." Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, www.tataviam-nsn.us/heritage/history. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
Kroeber, Alfred. "The Indians of California." The North American Indians: A Sourcebook, edited by Roger Owen, James Deetz, and Anthony Fisher. Macmillan, 1967.
Miller, Bruce W. The Gabrielino. Sand River Press, 1991.
Munoz, Anabel. "Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians Explains Why Native Sovereignty Is Multifaceted." ABC7, 29 Nov. 2022, abc7.com/fernandeo-tataviam-band-of-mission-indians-san-fernando-valley-los-angeles-county-native-sovereignty/12494701. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.