Los Angeles Indigenous Peoples Alliance

Los Angeles Indigenous Peoples' Alliance (LAIPA)

We are Indigenous families from Turtle Island, living in Tovaangar. We are community.  LAIPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization founded in 1991 by a collective mobilization of Indigenous families and organizations. We were born from resistance—specifically, to block the quincentennial celebrations of colonial violence and offer an alternative vision rooted in our own truths. Since then, we have worked tirelessly for Indigenous human rights, cultural preservation, and the continual development of our peoples living in Tovaangar.

Our Mission

We fulfill our commitment by promoting and facilitating the creation of centers of resistance—spaces where oppression, racism, xenophobia, and cultural genocide can be challenged, and where Indigenous women and their families can organize and create solutions from within. We take a holistic approach to community organizing, advancing unity among diverse Indigenous peoples on the basis of a fundamental principle: One Continent, One Peoples.

Cultural Preservation as Healing

For Indigenous families from Turtle Island living in Tovaangar, reclaiming our cultural identity is not a luxury—it is a political act of self-empowerment and a vital part of our healing process. Pride in our traditional ways and worldview goes hand in hand with developing leadership and skills that lead to family health and community empowerment.

In Tovaangar, where rates of severe depression are alarmingly high among our Raza populations, LAIPA is dedicated to demystifying mental health through culturally responsive, gender-responsive, and healing-informed strategies. We recognize that kinship circles, traditional medicine, rites of passage, and ancestral food systems are not relics of the past—they are our most urgent tools for survival and well-being.

How We Work

All LAIPA efforts are based on:

• Collective decision‑making

• Holistic and culturally appropriate approaches

• Celebrating Native culture

• Facilitating leadership

• Building from within to create solutions

Our focus is equity and empowerment through Indigenous human rights‑centered strategies. We believe that self-advocacy skills increase when we embrace our traditional ways—and those skills are essential for individual, family, and community well‑being.