TOYPORINA:

The Native American witness is a beautiful woman, one of the new mestizos(Indian and Spanish), from the Gabrielino Nation; Native to the San Gabriel Valley. (Gabrielino is a name given to the Indians by Europeans -- modern descendants prefer the Indian name Tongva.) We chose this woman because we wanted to pay tribute to Toyporina, an indigenous woman who, at the age of 23, led a revolt against the San Gabriel Mission and the Catholic Missionaries.
The panel also pays tribute to all the Native American peoples who, despite past and present atrocities, have kept their dignity and culture, as does Toyporina. The Friars were placed around her to show the constant scrutiny and dehumanization of the native peoples. The tattoos on her body symbolize the countless lives lost and being lost. These are her scars of endurance.