Rebecca Robles and her family have spent many years honoring their ancestors of the Acjachemen Tribe. She follows in the footsteps of Lillian Robles, her late mother, while her children and grandchildren look up to her as a leader heading the fight to legally and spiritually respect their ancestors of the past.
Her formative years were spent in San Clemente, not far from the original location of the ancient village of the Acjachemen people, of which she is a descendant. Rebecca received a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Northern Arizona University and became a registered nurse. For ten years, she stayed in Arizona while she worked as a nurse for Indian Health care services at the local reservations.
From Her Ancestors
To support Rebecca's goals of expanding indigenous knowledge, increasing respect for native people in California, and protecting native connection to sacred lands, she has paired with preservationist coalitions, social justice groups, local communities, and tribal people. Annually, the Robles family organizes an Ancestor's Walk in Southern California, bringing together many native people on a pilgrimage to honor the spiritually sacred places deeply connected to their native histories. Locations for the pilgrimage include Pahne along the San Mateo Creek, Putitem, where they are building a cultural park, Genga, a 9,500-year-old site of an ancient village, Bolsa Chica burial grounds, memorial gardens of Motuucheyngnga, and Puvungna a site of controversy as recent as 2019. This spiritual pilgrimage was started by Acjachemen elder Lilian, Rebecca's mother.
Protecting Pruvunga
The controversy that took place at Puvungna was a fight that Rebecca would not let go of without rectification. The California State University of Long Beach had been developed on the 500-acre site of an Acjachemen Tribal Village, and these last 22 acres that remained untouched were being covered by construction waste dirt to further the development of the university. Rebecca stood with other indigenous leaders and supporters to ensure this land would be given the respect it deserved. With Rebecca Robles as the president, the organization Protect Pruvungna was developed to preserve the cultural resources on the remaining 22 acres. Protect Pruvungna was created to preserve and enhance the sacred land, access funding, expand public understanding, network with other supporters, develop stewardship programs, establish discussion forums, and properly defend significant cultural resources. As a result of the organized support, a formal agreement was established in September of 2021 to permanently protect the sacred site.
Ongoing Effort
Rebecca works towards healing the past and current losses faced by the native communities of California. She is an indigenous spiritual leader who spends her time supporting the protection of sacred connections between tribal people and the land they have been on for so many years. They have a deep relationship with the surrounding areas that have been taken from them time and time again. Treaties have been unrecognized for too long, and her work is pushing toward correcting the inappropriate colonial behaviors that have been affecting her community.
Just as her past ancestors are important to her, so are the future generations of the Acjachemen people. Through decolonizing efforts and focusing on environmental justice, Rebecca seeks to pave a path where native culture is respected and honored at a government level. Her mother was able to pass down valuable lessons as their previous ancestors had to her, and she will do the same with her children. This chain of generational information, spirituality, love, and passion enables an unbreakable network that not only benefits them but raises awareness for everyone they come into contact with personally or through their work.
Key Takeaways:
Visit the webpage of Protect Puvungna and explore the successful fight headed by Rebecca Robles.
Find time to recognize the people that have been on this American soil at the same time the Pyramids were being built in Egypt.
Understand what colonization has meant for the native people and the fights that still go on today due to entitlement behavior.
Practice seeing land as sacred and having spiritual value instead of only as a utility resource.
Listen to an oral history of Rebecca's mother, Lillian.
Rebecca Robles and her family have spent many years honoring their ancestors of the Acjachemen Tribe. She follows in the footsteps of Lillian Robles, her late mother, while her children and grandchildren look up to her as a leader heading the fight to legally and spiritually respect their ancestors of the past.
Her formative years were spent in San Clemente, not far from the original location of the ancient village of the Acjachemen people, of which she is a descendant. Rebecca received a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Northern Arizona University and became a registered nurse. For ten years, she stayed in Arizona while she worked as a nurse for Indian Health care services at the local reservations.
From Her Ancestors
To support Rebecca's goals of expanding indigenous knowledge, increasing respect for native people in California, and protecting native connection to sacred lands, she has paired with preservationist coalitions, social justice groups, local communities, and tribal people. Annually, the Robles family organizes an Ancestor's Walk in Southern California, bringing together many native people on a pilgrimage to honor the spiritually sacred places deeply connected to their native histories. Locations for the pilgrimage include Pahne along the San Mateo Creek, Putitem, where they are building a cultural park, Genga, a 9,500-year-old site of an ancient village, Bolsa Chica burial grounds, memorial gardens of Motuucheyngnga, and Puvungna a site of controversy as recent as 2019. This spiritual pilgrimage was started by Acjachemen elder Lilian, Rebecca's mother.
Protecting Pruvunga
The controversy that took place at Puvungna was a fight that Rebecca would not let go of without rectification. The California State University of Long Beach had been developed on the 500-acre site of an Acjachemen Tribal Village, and these last 22 acres that remained untouched were being covered by construction waste dirt to further the development of the university. Rebecca stood with other indigenous leaders and supporters to ensure this land would be given the respect it deserved. With Rebecca Robles as the president, the organization Protect Pruvungna was developed to preserve the cultural resources on the remaining 22 acres. Protect Pruvungna was created to preserve and enhance the sacred land, access funding, expand public understanding, network with other supporters, develop stewardship programs, establish discussion forums, and properly defend significant cultural resources. As a result of the organized support, a formal agreement was established in September of 2021 to permanently protect the sacred site.
Ongoing Effort
Rebecca works towards healing the past and current losses faced by the native communities of California. She is an indigenous spiritual leader who spends her time supporting the protection of sacred connections between tribal people and the land they have been on for so many years. They have a deep relationship with the surrounding areas that have been taken from them time and time again. Treaties have been unrecognized for too long, and her work is pushing toward correcting the inappropriate colonial behaviors that have been affecting her community.
Just as her past ancestors are important to her, so are the future generations of the Acjachemen people. Through decolonizing efforts and focusing on environmental justice, Rebecca seeks to pave a path where native culture is respected and honored at a government level. Her mother was able to pass down valuable lessons as their previous ancestors had to her, and she will do the same with her children. This chain of generational information, spirituality, love, and passion enables an unbreakable network that not only benefits them but raises awareness for everyone they come into contact with personally or through their work.
Key Takeaways:
Visit the webpage of Protect Puvungna and explore the successful fight headed by Rebecca Robles.
Find time to recognize the people that have been on this American soil at the same time the Pyramids were being built in Egypt.
Understand what colonization has meant for the native people and the fights that still go on today due to entitlement behavior.
Practice seeing land as sacred and having spiritual value instead of only as a utility resource.
Listen to an oral history of Rebecca's mother, Lillian.
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