A Tataviam Creation Story

By Alan Salazar

The Tataviam are a small California tribe from northern Los Angeles County. "Tataviam" means "people facing the sun." It is what our neighbors to the north, the Kitenemuk tribe, called us. We, the Tataviam people, believe we have lived in Tataviam territory since time immemorial. The Santa Clarita Valley is the center of Tataviam territory-it is our heart. In order for tribal cultures to survive, we must sing new songs and tell new stories. This is my original creation story. I tell it in the spirit of my Tataviam ancestors.

-Alan Salazar "Puchuk Yaʼiaʼc"