In the Fall of 2024, Tongva descendants and community members AnMarie Mendoza and Tina Calderon met in collaboration with LA River X to discuss native perspectives on the current state of the river as well as the narratives and artwork being created around it. Here is that conversation, filmed and edited by Jay Lamars, Skylane Studios. Images from Tim DeRoche, Kyle Gerner, Seth Holmes, Kimberly Holtyn, Fred Kaplan, Jim Kisiel, Rex Weiner, John Worthy, and Nir Yaniv, all drawn from the Western Water Archives.
This film was made possible with the support of LA River X, Pomona College, The Claremont Colleges Library, and California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Pomona College, The Claremont Colleges, or LA River X.