After nearly 200 years, the Tongva community has land in Los Angeles County.
The Tongva are a Native American tribe living in northern California. The Tongva are also known for being some of the more conservative members of the Native American community. Because of that, the Tongva are not happy about the development of casinos in California, an issue which has been in the news recently.
But after the announcement this summer that a casino would be built in the Tongva’s homeland of Oroville, the community is going to fight and hopefully put a stop to that.
The Tongva Tribal Council passed a resolution saying they want casino development to be done with the community’s consent.
And now, some activists are planning a rally to tell their story.
For the past few weeks, activists in Orange County are working to organize a rally. And now, the community is getting an answer: The town council says no casino will be allowed in the area.
What is a Tongva?
The Tongva (also known as Tongva-Langi) is one of the largest tribes in California. They are a Native tribe with about 200 people. And most of them live in northern California.
Their most famous tribe-member is the California surfer Kelly Slater. The Tongva have several other famous members.
They are known for their conservatism and strict religious beliefs. According to the website’s description of the tribe, they are:
“A proud and influential tribe, the Tongva are a Christian tribe of North California. We have long fought the encroaching West but now find ourselves under attack from the likes of Governor Schwarzenegger and others who seek to strip us of our land and sacred tribal resources. They have sought to take us apart at the seams, and now our community has been left alone to defend our most ancient tradition from the forces of greed and racism.”
They are also known for making their own fireworks and drinking hot coffee with the leaves.
Land in California?
California has a huge gambling industry, which has had many negative effects on Native Americans and minorities.
These impacts include:
The closure of casinos due to gambling-related problems.
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