A Stroll Through the Garden

Our visit to the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens was an experience that I’ll cherish dearly from my time at UCLA. Ever since I transferred back in the fall of 2020, I had every intention of exploring the Garden, but a long list of deadlines, distractions, and physical exhaustion from the daily commute overshadowed my eagerness to visit. As I strolled through the dirt trails, lined with beautiful wildflowers and buzzing pollinators, I felt the stresses of the day melting off my body. A moment of serenity. Upon arriving at the amphitheater, former Biotech+Art student Cole Oost gave us a brief introduction to the Garden’s history and its flourishing ecological landscape. The Garden was opened in 1929, and with the help of George C. Groenewegen (the first garden manager), along with generous donations from other well-established botanical sources, within 20 years the land was infused with a diverse ecosystem of about 1500 plant species (“History”). Today, this 7.5 acre living museum is home to a worldly collection of plant life from the Mediterranean, desert regions, tropical and subtropical zones, conifer species, and, of course, California native species (to name a few). Additionally, over 330 animal species roam the Garden, each contributing the vastly interconnected systems of growth, decomposition, and rebirth (“History”).

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However, not even this well-tended land is safe from the destruction of man-made climate change. Mr. Oost described how changes in climatic temperature, precipitation, and other cycles affect the magnificent synchrony in timing that exists in nature. Furthermore, the rapid loss in biodiversity stemming from deforestation and the invasive encroachment of urban centers have thrusted people and farmlands closer to disease-carrying wild species—many of which are facing habitat loss and threats of extinction (Lustgarten). These trends are ultimately increasing the frequency of infectious disease outbreaks across the globe, including respiratory illnesses and coronaviruses (Lustgarten). Additionally, the transmission of vector-borne illnesses carried by ticks and mosquitoes is amplified by the rise in warmer temperatures and increased precipitation in vulnerable regions (Lustgarten). These alarming observations should serve as a warning sign to humanity about the ephemeral fate of the natural world as it exists today if we continue our damaging behaviors. 

Another instance of human destruction and our greedy thirst for conquest can be examined through histories of colonization, enslavement, and genocide of the original indigenous caretakers of the land. After our conversation with Cole Oost, resident artist Patricia Cavidad guided us through a beautiful ritual connecting the group with the land and those who walked before us, acknowledging and demonstrating gratitude for allowing our presence and continued use of the territory. Long before the Botanical Garden and much of present-day Los Angeles was established, the region was home to the Gabrielino-Tongva indigenous peoples (An Introduction to UCLA’s). As a land-grant institution built on the footprints of dispossessed native tribes, UCLA has the responsibility to recognize the arduous and gory history that forms its foundation. The Tongva people once inhabited the southern Los Angeles Basin, parts of Orange County, and western portions of San Bernardino and Riverside (“History.” Gabrielino). However, Spanish conquistadors soon forcibly relocated these tribes to the San Gabriel and San Fernando Missions, with a vast majority of the California Native population dying from the horrendously violent conditions between 1846 and 1873 (An Introduction to UCLA’s). In 1994, the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe was officially recognized by the state of California, however, the federal government has yet to do the same (“History.” Gabrielino). 

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Tongva Community Garden

As a student, I have read the formal statements of acknowledgement put out by each educational department, which, according to Dr. Mishuana Goeman (Special Advisor to Chancellor Block on Indigenous Affairs), serves as an “introduction” to the Tongva people, a stepping stone to educate the public about their mistreatment, and most importantly, as a valuable reminder that the Tongva are not just figures of the past. Their descendants and traditions live in the present and have every right to flourish into the future (An Introduction to UCLA’s). As Patricia Cavidad passed around the smoking “palo santo”, I thought about how this space must have looked hundreds of years ago—without the noise pollution from nearby highways or the man-made seating areas—and how important it is to make space for living descendants of the Tongva and other native tribes to pass on their cultural practices and wisdoms. Along these lines, the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens has set out a space specifically for the Tongva community to cultivate the plants of their choosing as a symbolic but also practical tool for their cultural development. I encourage you to explore the artistic works of Mercedes Dorame, a living descendant of the Gabrielino-Tongva tribe, whose photographic and sculptural installations “illuminate the survival of her tribe’s culture amid a historical legacy of violence toward Native Americans in the U.S…” (Segal). As she illustrates and reimagines her tribal heritage, her art serves as a reminder to correct any preconceived stereotypes about what Native Americans look like and asserts the vibrant existence of her culture in the present day. For more about Dorame’s work check out this link!: https://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2018/made-in-la-2018/mercedes-dorame 

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Source: PBS.og

Patricia Cavidad also maintains a connection to her South American indigenous ancestors through her use of the quipu (or khipu), a traditional string device with an intricate system of knots that denote numerical and narrative information within predominantly Incan tribes (Medrano and Urton). The quipu is valuable not only as an amazing artifact, but as a symbol for the suppression of indigenous voices by colonizers who burned many of them to stifle communication between tribes. Cavidad herself has been recording her own narrative into her quipu, actively reclaiming this stunning technology from the grips of colonization. Among the remaining quipus, their mysterious knots are still being decoded and should inspire us to look deeper into our interwoven histories with Indigeous peoples and take action to reopen a line of communication with their living descendants.

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Image of quipu in use- Source: sapien.org

Works Cited

“History.” Gabrielino, https://gabrielinotribe.org/history/.

“History.” Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, https://www.botgard.ucla.edu/history/.

An Introduction to UCLA's Indigenous Past, Present and Future. https://newsletter.alumni.ucla.edu/connect/2020/feb/tongva/default.htm?fbclid=IwAR3rJEJRhb8xwi2v0L1b7AxGtNUDV37sZRaX6LqtpkgGpEo-8h9FUFxY3oQ.

Lustgarten, Abrahm. “How Climate Change Is Contributing to Skyrocketing Rates of Infectious Disease.” ProPublica, https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-infectious-diseases.

Manuel Medrano, and Gary Urton. “The Incas' Knotty History.” SAPIENS, Wikimedia Commons, 26 July 2018, https://www.sapiens.org/culture/khipu-incas-knotty-history/.

“Mercedes Dorame.” Hammer Museum, https://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2018/made-in-la-2018/mercedes-dorame.

Segal, Corinne. “'We, as a People, Still Exist' - Artist Illuminates Native American History with Family Photos.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 7 Jan. 2017, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/gabrielino-tongva-artist-native-american.