The message was loud and clear
Billie Eilish’s comments following her Grammys win has provoked the reaction of a Native American tribe, whose indigenous land is where the singer’s California mansion is located.
Eilish, 24, won the “Song of the Year” award for her song “Wildflower” on the weekend and in her speech said that “no one is illegal on stolen land”, referring to the raids carried out in Minneapolis and elsewhere across the US by ICE agents.
“As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land”, the singer said on stage.
“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I just feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter”, she added.
Her speech, which was referring to the European colonisation of the Americas, drew a mixed response among viewers in the United States.
Shortly after her award, people brought up an interesting detail about her reported $3 million (£2.1 million) family home in the Highland Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles, which sits on land originally belonging to an indigenous people of California: the Tongva.
“As the First People of the greater Los Angeles basin, we do understand that her home is situated in our ancestral land”, the Tongva people said in a statement.
“Eilish has not contacted our tribe directly regarding her property, we do value the instance when Public Figures provide visibility to the true history of this country.
“It is our hope that in future discussions, the tribe can explicitly be referenced to ensure the public understands that the greater Los Angeles basin remains Gabrielino Tongva territory”, the spokesperson added.
“The Recording Academy has been an incredible partner to our tribe, and we look forward to continuing the relationship to ensure the voices of the First People of this land are heard and honoured. Ekwa Shem – We are here!”, the spokesperson said.
The Tongva are indigenous to a 4,000 square mile area in the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands.
There are over 700 citizens living across the city and county of Los Angeles, according to Gabrielino/Tongva nation.
They do not have a federal reservation of their own, unlike other Native American tribes across the United States.
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