A Conversation with Tina Orduno Calderon, 2026 Frogtown Artwalk Honoree

The 2026 Frogtown Artwalk is honored to recognize Tina Orduno Calderon, a Tongva and Chumash Culture Bearer, educator, storyteller, and longtime friend of Frogtown Arts.

For generations before Los Angeles became the city we know today, Tongva people lived in relationship with the lands and waterways of this region, including the river. Today, Tongva people continue to preserve, practice, and share their culture while reminding us that the history of Los Angeles did not begin with the founding of the city.

Through her teaching, storytelling, cultural work, and generous sharing of knowledge, Tina has helped our community deepen its understanding of the land beneath our feet and the people whose relationship with this place reaches back countless generations.

As we celebrate 20 years of the Frogtown Artwalk along the Los Angeles River, we are proud to dedicate this year's event in part to Tina and to recognize her contributions to our community.

We sat down with Tina to talk about culture, art, the river, community, and what she hopes future generations will carry forward.

Frogtown Arts (FA): Tina, could you begin by introducing yourself?

Tina Calderon (TC): I’m Tina Calderon. I'm a Gabrielino-Tongva and Chumash Culture Bearer. 

FA: What does being a Culture Bearer mean to you personally and in your culture?

TC: Culture Bearers carry the history and knowledge of their tribe(s). I have been blessed to have many teachers before me, many of whom are no longer with us. And so at a certain age, we need our elders to step up and to be able to teach others - including our own youth - about our tribal ways. I'm also a songkeeper, so that's also part of it. In addition to our histories and ideologies and beliefs, it's also songs. 

FA: The Frogtown Artwalk takes place along the Los Angeles River. What would you like people walking along the river today to understand about the relationship between your community, this land, and its waterways? What would you like them to honor?

TC: I think it's first really important for people to understand that Tongva and Chumash people look at water as a sacred element, and it must be respected. Tongva Peoples call the LA River Paayme Paxaayt, our West River. We have 4 rivers in our territory, and this river is furthest west. The waters originally used to flow, and the people did not alter the flow. They didn't live on top of it. They respected the water in that way because they knew when it rains, the waters will swell and they will change course. We lived close enough to be able to utilize the waters, but not close enough that any harm could come to our peoples. Our villages were always higher up. 

I think it's really important for people to know that even though now our waters are dammed up here in the foothills, and our streams and our rivers are concreted, channelized, controlled - the water is still sacred. And we have to respect the water. And there's a lot that we have to do as good relatives, to use our voice, and to try to give the rights of this water to be able to flow freely. In our belief system, everything is connected. So the climate issues we're experiencing, for instance, partly are because the water is not allowed to flow. Our grounds are now compacted and unable to accept the water flow, and then everything's concreted over. All of these things are related. I'm all for the soft bottom as much as possible, and I know that it can't be done that way all over because people do live right on top of the river, and buildings are there, and it is now unsafe. But there are places, just like you see at Sepulveda Basin and Glendale Narrows and right there in Frogtown - you can see how the life just starts to come right back when the soil is allowed to build up the way it's supposed to. 

FA: What does your personal relationship with the river look like today?

TC: I do a lot of work along the LA River, and I work with a lot of organizations that are located along the LA River. But I will say that my relationship has been about the last 10 years or so - maybe a little longer, because it was when I retired from work and started doing this Culture Bearer work. Prior to that, growing up, we didn't go around the LA River because it wasn't safe. We don't know what kind of waters - like runoff and pesticides and herbicides and all these poisons that are coming from companies that are right there manufacturing along the river - what they're putting into the water system. We always just stayed away from it. But in this work, we have to be the voice of the waters, and we have to educate people about respecting the water. We're taught that to respect the water is to acknowledge it as a being, a sacred being. So when I do go there, I touch the water, then my forehead as an introduction. Since the water flows, you are approaching a new body each time.

FA: If you can envision the future of the river and the river's relationship to Los Angeles, what does that look like for you? What would you dream of for the river?

TC: I think to thoroughly clean it up - because we're all working towards river clean-ups and all this, right - but I think to thoroughly clean it up, we have to make some major changes. And I think about when they started doing the LA River Master Plan, and you're talking about how many thousands of dollars that are going to be thrown at this, right? I just wish that we could redo everything that has been harmed. And if that means paying people to move a little bit farther away from the river so that we could open her up - thinking about how our Creator made this amazing ecosystem with the rivers. And if it was allowed to flow with the sand and the silts and the rocks and the tule and all the beautiful plant life, the water would be clean. There's so many things that we have to fix before we can get to a truly clean flowing river and a safe environment. 

FA: What role do art, storytelling, music, and other forms of creative expression play in connecting people to the river?

TC: I believe that art does help us to bring awareness in a beautiful way - to whatever the cause, including the river. I mentioned that I'm a songkeeper, but I'm also a storyteller and a poet. Some of the songs that I've made are specifically around the water. One of them just acknowledges the water and asks it to flow once again. When I do sing that song for the public that's gathering or doing art or doing a walk along the river, I always ask them to think of the water in a positive way. That's all. Think of that water flowing freely the way she's supposed to. 

FA: You have shared your knowledge and cultural traditions with the Frogtown community on many occasions. What has that experience and relationship meant to you?

TC: I started to say earlier how many years and I couldn't really remember at that minute, but I started thinking: Well, when I retired, my grandson was just a tiny little one, and he's already 15. So it's been at least 15 years that I've been working around the river. Throughout that time, I've made some great relationships; Frogtown Arts, LA River Arts, and even AltaSea, way down at the other end, in San Pedro. There are so many great people I've met working along the length of the river. I’ve done walks where I've partnered with others, sharing the history of place - them speaking on the current history and what's happened in that town and me sharing our historic to current connection. It's really important to me that we acknowledge these places by their Tongva name.

FA: Are there names that you would like people to know and honor as they are spending time at the Frogtown Artwalk? I know you shared the name of the river earlier, but please share others if you want to.

TC: Yes, I do think it's important to acknowledge the villages that are nearby because those were the people who tended to these lands specifically. And so the very closest village is right where the Griffith Park area is and those mountain ranges. It's called Maaw’nga. And so that's another thing that I teach people. Maaw’vetam, the people from that area, should be acknowledged. And then the river itself, Paayme Paxaayt, the West River. 

FA: What do you want people in our communities to understand about their responsibility to your communities? 

TC: I like to tell people, whether you’re first generation or you've been here for several generations, the bottom line is if you're calling this home, and especially once you start burying your dead here, this is your home. And this is your responsibility, just like it’s our responsibility. Our teachings tell us about causing no harm, and about being part of nature, not separating yourself from nature. So it's really important to me that the newer peoples that have settled here think of those same kind of ideologies, and it's really important for them to know that the Original Peoples of this land are still here. We're not in the past, we're not just history. Yes, we talk about our ancestors. But we also talk about our children and those who have yet to come. 

FA: How can people take action and fully embrace that acknowledgement?

TC: Respect the waters and the lands. When we rematriate the land, we bring them back to health, get rid of the invasive species, add the plants that belong in that specific ecosystem which will support all life, even the native insects, the animals, and the birds. But it's not “What do people want?” - it's, “What does the land want? What does the water want?” When we make those decisions, we have to think about those relatives.

FA: What are the responsibilities of artists and cultural organizations in this work?

TC: I just think art is absolutely amazing, and there are the galleries, there's visual art, but art can be so broad. It could be those stories, those songs - so much can be considered art. If it's beautiful, it's art, right? So it helps us, no matter what medium you use, to bring awareness to the beauty that surrounds us. 

FA: What resources might you suggest to people who are interested in learning more about our local ecologies, wildlife, or native plants and want to do it in a respectful way?

TC: I think a really important part is to understand ecosystems and what was there originally - because Creator made all this beauty and put it in strategic places and you see these communities that are thriving, that depend on each other, which is that reciprocal relationship. And so as we're trying to fix what has been harmed, we must make sure that we build up that ecosystem that was supposed to be there. I feel like that really is a responsibility. 

FA: A lot of artists in Frogtown and throughout Los Angeles are inspired by the animals we see along the river. Do you have any stories you’d like to share about wildlife there?

TC: Yes, what I'd like to say about the Frogtown Artwalk, because it's an all-day thing, and there's so much going on and people are literally going up and down the river, is that you really have the opportunity to see the life that you're talking about. Whether it be birds or animals or hear those frogs at night, all of that. Because we're always in this hustle and bustle. We're on the freeway, we're going by the river, but you don't get to experience the river. And so on a day like this, people are actually there and like, “Oh, look, there's a heron!” All of these beautiful animals. And then at night, imagine the bats! A lot of people are not even aware of how many different animals are utilizing that water source. 

FA: Part of what makes the Frogtown Artwalk so fun is that it’s an intergenerational event. How do you think about the role of art in connecting across generations?

TC: I think across generations is a really important one. It's beautiful, because there is something for everybody, right? Regardless of age. But I think even across cultures - we’re stopping to get to know each other, and see who lives there in that area and who's coming from different places to experience it. For some people, it will be brand new and they're like, “Wow, I didn't even know it was like this right here by the river, where everything's growing.” And for other people, they almost take it for granted because they see it all the time, right? But I think that the Artwalk itself is such a rich experience because there's something for everybody. You're going to hear music. You're gonna see different cultures, different foods. There's different art types - so it's just something for everybody. Across ages, and also across cultures. 

FA: As we all get ready to come together for this event, what are some things giving you hope right now?

TC: Right now, we're living through some really harsh times. There's a lot of hate all around us. And so bringing joy, even if it's just for one day, for people to let those issues go that are surrounding us and harming our communities, and just enjoy each other, enjoy the music, the food, the art, everything - it does bring people joy, and it's the way it should be. I think people want to be in community. 

FA: Is there anything else anything that you would like to share with our community, or that you want people to know? 

TC: I just want people to know that the Tongva people are still here, and it's not just me. There's so many really talented people. We have a lot of artists in our community. And so, create relationships with all Tongva folks. If people ever need to reach out to me, I do have a website (https://www.tinaordunocalderon.com/). 

We're here and we love to be part of everything that goes on in our territory, especially when it comes to making decisions about what's going to be done to the lands and the waters. But even these fun events, too - there's no reason that we should just do a 5-minute land acknowledgement and leave. We should be part of the whole thing that's going on throughout the day. 

FA: Thank you so much, Tina. We’re really grateful for everything you've shared and for your time this evening! 

TC: I appreciate your time, and I feel so grateful and honored that the Frogtown Artwalk wants to acknowledge me. I just think it's beautiful.