Mission Statement

 

The Ortega Family of Nuestra Señora del Refugio is dedicated to preserving, documenting, and restoring the legacy of one of California’s earliest founding families through responsible stewardship of historical knowledge, ancestral lands, and living cultural practices. Rooted in Chumash, Indigenous, Mexican, and early Californio histories, we are committed to elevating Indigenous perspectives, ensuring historical accuracy with dignity and cultural integrity, and bridging genealogy, scholarship, and community engagement as a living resource for understanding California’s origins.

 

Guided by the resilience of our ancestors and informed by the realities of Spanish, Mexican, and American colonization, we work to reclaim and sustain our validated ancestral lands, traditional kinship systems, foodways, ceremonial practices, and ecological relationships. Through cultural revitalization and the restoration of flora, fauna, and lifeways, we honor our role as original stewards of this land and seek to empower future generations of the Ortega family, our Indigenous relatives, and all people to know, respect, and carry forward their ancestral heritage.