Before Los Angeles’ name was first written on a map, there was Tovaangar: a gathering place and nurturing home to the Tongva people. Co-curated by Kenny Ramos, Jessa Calderon, and Kelly Caballero, Tovaangar Today is a virtual celebration of the Native artists and cultural creators who still thrive in the region working as poets, actors, emcees, multimedia artists, and advocates. While centering on the Tongva and other California Nations, the festival will also feature artists from the local intertribal urban Native diaspora and highlight the connections between art, activism, identity, and tribal sovereignty.

The festival will feature musical performances by Kelly Caballero, Jessa Calderon, PJ Vegas, The Tewa, and Šmuwič Singers. A panel conversation titled “Working to Protect Water, Environmental Justice, Sacredness of Water,” moderated by Kenny Ramos, will feature Angela Mooney D'Arcy, Maura Sullivan, Isaiah Mendoza, and Annie Mendoza.

More information about the festival and The Ford here.

Tune in Sunday, November 1 at 4 PM PT!