Tata, the Tataviam Towhee is the first Tataviam story that is told and recorded by a Tataviam tribal elder and storyteller. Through his inquisitiveness, Tata, a small towhee bird teaches us a valuable lesson. He reminds us that our land will always have stories to tell.

Tata, the Tataviam Towhee is a nature story written by Alan Salazar. He is a traditional storyteller, a native educator, and an elder in the Ferdandiño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. This story recounts the adventures of a little towhee bird as he learns about the joys and dangers of his home in the beautiful California chaparral.

This book was illustrated by Mona Lewis, using pigments made from rocks and soil collected in Tataviam territory. A short history of the Tataviam tribe is included as well as a tutorial on how to make earth pigments and draw a picture with them.

This story is a perfect complement to third and fourth grade studies of tribal cultures.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sunsprite Publishing (November 10, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 52 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1735819514
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1735819518
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 10 years

All proceeds benefit the non-profit National Wildlife Federation’s #SaveLACougars campaign to build the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing and advance connectivity efforts in Southern California and beyond. The Wallis Annenberg Crossing broke ground in 2022 and is advancing toward completion in 2026. Building on significant historic preservation efforts, we are reconnecting a vital habitat corridor to help save the local population of mountain lions and ensure a future for all wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains.