LOS ANGELES — Nestled in between apartment complexes in Monterey Hills lays the Chief Vera Ya’anna Learning Village, a 12-acre hidden oasis that feels strangely out of place in Los Angeles’ crowded neighborhoods. But it is where the Gabrielino Shoshone Nation of Southern California is now free to practice and carry-on ancestral traditions.  he Gabrielino Shoshone Nation of Southern California is now free to practice and carry-on ancestral traditions.  

What You Need To Know

  • Twelve acres of hillside land have been returned to the Gabrielino Shoshone Nation of Southern California

  • This is the biggest land back to a native tribe in Los Angeles, with similar efforts seen in Northern California

  • The land was bought by the Anawakalmekak Charter School, a TK-12 grade school that incorporates Indigenous practices into the curriculum 

  • Although the Gabrielino Shoshone Nation owns the land called the Chief Ya’anna Learning Village, the school is going to use it as a place to teach the students about environmental issues and connect them to nature 

The land is part of the biggest land back effort to native people in Southern California. 

The Gabrielino Shoshone Nation had occupied what is today the Greater Los Angeles Basin until 1771, when the Spanish came to California and enslaved many of their people, while forcing relocation. Centuries later, the land was bought and used by developers until last year, when the Anawakalmekak Charter School bought the land alongside other Indigenous-led organizations. 

“It is still unbelievable, still kind of surreal, like, this is ours,” said Jamie Rocha, a Gabrielino Shoshone Nation Tribal Councilmember. 

The land is named after her grandmother, Chief Vera Ya’anna, as a way to honor her legacy of being a fierce fighter of Indigenous rights and of the environment. 

She said she would be proud of this achievement, as she can already see nature healing itself with wildlife, such as hawks and coyote coming to the area. 

The effort has been a big relief as they no longer have to hold a ceremony in someone’s backyard or wait months for a county permit. 

Being able to buy the land back after three decades fulfilled a vision of returning to nature for Marcos Aguilar, school director at the Anawakalmekak Charter School. 

“This is about resurgence, revitalization and regeneration of Indigenous culture in Los Angeles,” Aguilar said.

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After being restricted to classrooms, the school has slowly started to host classes on the land, harvesting traditional fruits and plants to teach future Indigenous generations about ecological respect and traditions. 

“Having a village as a retreat space, as a wellness space, as a natural space, that teaches youth about environmental restoration, about ecological respect, about climate change and climate resilience is very important,” Aguilar said. 

He said this goes beyond reclaiming property. 

“This isn’t about individual property rights. This is about returning the right to exist to our peoples wherever we live. And that includes our language, includes our culture, includes our ways of life, our worldviews and our economies,” Aguilar said. 

Although some may not agree with the use of the land, Rocha said the majority of the community has been welcoming. 

“It’s bringing so many different walks of life here. And that’s what makes this place so special, where we have indigenous youth practicing and we also have people who want to learn more about it,” Rocha said.