Overview
Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar is a curriculum designed to be facilitated in a variety of ways to best accommodate different classrooms and teaching styles. The curriculum consists of short readings, images, discussion questions, Tongva language vocabulary, and visual worksheets. The curriculum is organized into four lessons (30-60 min each) on the topics of People, Place, Science, and Art.
The objective of the curriculum is to increase students' cultural and scientific thoughtfulness regarding Tovaangar (the Los Angeles Basin) from a native, Tongva (Gabrielino) perspective.
This experience is provided by The Broad as part of PST: Art + Science Collide, Southern California's landmark arts event, presented by The Getty, in partnership with museums and institutions across the region.
Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar is a reforestation art project inspired by Joseph Beuys's 7000 Oaks, which involved planting 7000 trees in post-World War II Germany as a form of reconciliation after the traumas of war. Four decades later, Social Forest adapts this concept to Los Angeles, centering on the region's unique historical context and its need for reconciliation. Partnering with Tongva leaders, the project centers on Tongva people's deep history and thrivance, aiming to plant 100 native oak trees in Elysian Park and five at the sacred Kuruvungna Village Springs, in collaboration with North East Trees and the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation.
Partners
Lazaro Arvizu Jr.
Lazaro Arvizu Jr. (Gabrielino/Tongva) is an artist, educator, musician, and researcher dedicated to the culture of the First Peoples of Los Angeles. Born in the Los Angeles Basin, he is knowledgeable of the landscape and cosmology of the Gabrielino culture. He has worked for over twenty years facilitating creative and meaningful cultural experiences to people of all ages and walks of life.
Desiree Renee Martinez
Desiree Renee Martinez is Gabrieliño (Tongva), an archaeologist and Tribal Relations and NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Director at California Polytechnic State University, Pomona. Desiree received her BA in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and her MA in Anthropology from Harvard University. Desiree is a co-Director of the Pimu Catalina Island Archaeological Project that melds archaeology with traditional knowledge in collaboration with Gabrieliño (Tongva) community members. Desiree’s life has been dedicated to obtaining the skills and knowledge necessary to combat the wanton destruction of Native American sacred and cultural sites.
