Julie Bogany Vaunted Elder of the Gabrieleno Tongva Band of Mission Indians Walks On

 

I have been experiencing so much turmoil in my life (all good) that I missed this news piece on Julie Bogany passing. The Los Angeles times has a great article on this. Here is a statement from the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians

Educator, Loving Mother, Language Keeper

We honor the transition of our elder, Julia Bogany on March 28, 2021, the day of the March supermoon. Those of you who knew Julia, know that she was part of almost every aspect of Southern California Native culture, in particular all things related to the Gabrieleño-Tongva people. She had relatives from the coast to the inland valleys. She worked tirelessly to gain recognition for her tribe, to counteract the “erasure” that colonial systems brought with the missions, the ranchos, and the American land takeover. Julia was not Catholic, but she developed a relationship with the bishop of Los Angeles to make sure that the Native story was being told at the San Gabriel Mission.

Julia Bogany served The Gabrieleno Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians as the Cultural Affairs Officer 2000-2021. Julia was passionate about education and worked tirelessly as a Tongva Cultural Consultant, an advocate for her tribe and held various educational workshops for over 20 years.  

Julia consulted with educators, trained teachers and school boards on how to revise their curriculum to reflect the correct history of California and California tribes. More than anything, Julia wanted to change the future for her tribe, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She cared for her great grandchildren and  taught them our traditional arts, crafts, language, and culture. Julia studied and taught the Tongva language classes for over 20 years, she was Vice President of the Keepers of Indigenous Ways and a past President of Kuruvungna Springs in Santa Monica.  She was a member of the CNAC (California Native American College Board), and Pitzer’s Elder in Residence.  Julia worked on several projects at Pitzer, including several murals, as well as helping students with indigneous education.  

REST IN PEACE