Kizh

Kizh Kit’c (/kiːtʃ/ keetch) are the Mission Indians of San Gabriel, according to Andrew Salas,^[1] Smithsonian Institution,^[2] Congress,^[3] the Catholic Church,^[4] the San Gabriel Mission, ^[5] and other Indigenous communities.^[6]

"Kizh" is derived from a reference by a Canadian ethnologist to one of the numerous villages in the Los Angeles Basin from records at Mission Viejas, Kizheriños (The People of the Willow Houses). Hugo Reid documented at least 28 Gabrielino villages.^[7] In 1811, the priests of Mission San Gabriel recorded four Gabrieliňo languages, each with minor dialect differences;^[8] Kokomcar, Guiguitamcar, Corbonamga, and Sibanga.^[9] During this same period, at Mission San Fernando, three additional languages were recorded.^[10]

More than a century later, in January 1982, the U.S. Corps of Engineers issued a report describing and identifying numerous Gabrieliňo villages.^[11]

Today the Kizh Nation is referred to as one of the descendant Gabrieleno tribes.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17]}

On October 10, 1994, the Kizh descendants were disenrolled from the original Gabrielino Tribal Council, ^[18] On December 9, 2010, they formed their non-profit as Los Indios de San Gabriel, Inc.^[19] According to Andrew Salas, Smithsonian Institution,^[20] Congress,^[21] the Catholic Church^[22] and other Indigenous communities,^[23] the Kizh Nation territory consist of Los Angeles and Orange county,^[24] California and includes about 500 members.^[12] It is unclear the number of tribal members in the Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, Gabrielino/Tongva Nation, Gabrielino Tongva Indians of California Tribal Council, and Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe.^{[25][26][27][28][29]}