Recently, TreePeople participated in The Broad Museum’s “Never Stop Planting – Social Forest Community Celebration” at Elysian Park. This vibrant event marked the commencement of the museum’s reforestation initiative, Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar, aiming to rejuvenate Los Angeles’ natural landscape while honoring Indigenous traditions.

Introducing TreePeople’s Native Plants & Language Project

At our booth, we unveiled TreePeople’s latest endeavor: The Plants of Tovaangar: Native Plants in their Native Language. This initiative focuses on preserving and revitalizing the names of Southern California’s native plants found at our headquarters of Coldwater Canyon Park. TreePeople is working with members of the Tongva tribe and The Broad Museum to document, record, and share the Tongva names for plants native to our region. These recordings will be available on our website and via QR codes throughout Coldwater Canyon Park as an audio tour, so visitors can learn about where they are while enjoying a natural space. 

On the day of the event, we collaborated with Citlali Carmelo, a member of the Tongva Language Committee, who shared her profound knowledge of the Tongva language and culture. Together, we engaged attendees in enlightening discussions about the significance of language recovery and its role in environmental conservation. We brought examples of California native plants like the Coast Live Oak, which has the Tongva name: Wiit.

Through this interactive language project, TreePeople seeks to add permanent interpretive signage and public educational materials at the park, to inform all Angelenos of the traditional ecological knowledge that exists within the indigenous heritage of these lands and of native peoples’ continued connection to one of the most beautiful and biodiverse regional landscapes in the world.

A Day of Cultural and Environmental Engagement

The celebration was a tapestry of nature-based workshops and interactive activities, highlighting indigenous Tongva artists, educators, and local environmental groups. 

TreePeople’s Environmental Education and Outdoor Equity team members hosted an interactive booth where we invited attendees to annotate and draw on a map of the Los Angeles basin to include places and spaces such as their homes, schools, outdoor spaces where they spend time.

After illustrating on the map, we provided a transparent overlay of the same region but labeled with locations of Tongva villages and sacred sites. Looking at these two maps together, participants were asked to consider how people have lived and had a relationship with this land for thousands of years and how the landscape has changed in that time. How do the Tongva people continue to steward the land we live on today? 

Participants also immersed themselves in:

• Native Plant Education: Learning about indigenous flora and their ecological importance.
• Acorn Processing Demonstrations: Exploring traditional methods of preparing this staple food.
• Basket Weaving and Interactive Games: Engaging in activities rooted in Tongva traditions.
• Guided Nature Walks: Discovering the rich biodiversity of Elysian Park.
• Oak Tree Planting: Contributing hands-on to the reforestation efforts.

This event drew inspiration from Joseph Beuys’s seminal 1982 artwork, 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks), recontextualizing it within Los Angeles’s unique cultural and environmental landscape–highlighting Tongva perspectives on land stewardship and ecology. Learn more about this project and see how art and nature can shape the future on our Instagram!

We extend our gratitude to The Broad Museum, the Tongva community, and all participants for making this celebration a resounding success. 

Looking Ahead: Plants of Tovaangar Coming soon!

We acknowledge that the park TreePeople maintains exists on the ancestral homelands of the Tongva, Chumash, and Tataviam people, and we are committed to fostering collaborations that bridge cultural heritage and environmental sustainability. The Plants of Tovaangar project leans into this commitment, aiming to deepen the connection between communities and the natural world through the power of language. 

Stay tuned for more information about when our project is officially online. We can’t wait for you to take a peaceful walk in Coldwater Canyon park while listening to native plants in their native language.