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Espíritu Chijulla
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Espíritu Chijulla
María del Espíritu Santo Chijulla, also known as Espíritu Chijulla (also spelled Chihuya), was an Indigenous Californian woman who became the first common-law spouse to win legal rights in California and inherited Rancho El Escorpión.
Her father was Odón Chijulla, a Chumash man Humaliwo who had been baptized at the San Fernando Rey de España Mission and was considered a leader (or chief) of the Fernandeños living in the western portion of the San Fernando Valley. While Odón was born in Humaliwo, his father had apparently been from the village at the base of Kas'ele'ew Peak known as Hukxa'oynga in Fernandeño-Tongva and Hu'wam in Ventureño Chumash; this village would later become the site of Rancho El Escorpión.
Her mother was Odón's wife, Juana Eusebia, a Tongva woman from a village near Santa Monica (possibly Guashna, Kuruvunga, or Topanga). Odón and Juana Eusebia had three daughters, Marcelina, María Dolores, and María del Espíritu and two sons, Bernabé and Tiburcio. Most of their children continued to remain associated with the Rancho El Escorpión land owned by Odón.
Marcelina married Urbano Chari a Fernandeño who became co-owner of the Rancho El Escorpión grant with her father; she later lived with Joaquín Romero who was also a partial owner of the rancho. María Dolores was first married to a Fernandeño named José "Polo," and then lived with José Arnaz, recipient of the San Buenaventura Ex-Mission grant, before finally settling down with Pierre Domec, a Frenchman who owned a lime kiln near El Escorpión; her eldest daughter María del Rosario married Carlos Leboubon, a Frenchman who worked for Domec. Leboubon won a court battle against Domec, after which he and María del Rosario settled near Saticoy. María Dolores's youngest daughter, María Antonia, married Francisco More who was of half indigenous and half Euroamerican ancestry who had been raised at Saticoy. Bernabé first married a Tataviam and Kitanemuk (or Kawaiisu) woman named Teodora; after her death he married Marta, a Tataviam/Fernandeña woman. He and Marta split and he continued to live in El Escorpión where he married Dolores, possibly the granddaughter of Urbano Chari. Bernabé eventually died by suicide when he hanged himself at the San Fernando Mission. Tiburcio had married an indigenous woman named Manuela and had two children, but no other records of his family past 1860 have been found.
María del Espíritu Santo Chijulla, born in 1836, was baptized in the San Fernando Mission. Her father Odón was, most likely, one of the forty petitioners who received a grant from governor Micheltorena on May 3, 1843. This grant was not preserved by governor Pico; however, in July 1845, Odón, his son-in-law Urbano Chari, and Urbano's son Manuel, negotiated joint ownership of a square league of land which became Rancho El Escorpión. Urbano and Manuel died in about 1860, and the El Escorpión land was either sold or lost by the end of the 1860s.
Espíritu Chijulla and her family spoke both Ventureño Chumash and Fernandeño Tongva, having roots in and inhabiting the multilingual community in El Escorpión.
Chijulla married José Antonio Menéndez in 1856 and had a son with him called Juan José Menéndez in 1857. After Menéndez's death, Miguel Leonis partnered with Chijulla in 1859. Leonis was a French-Basque settler who was active in the San Fernando Valley starting from around 1854. Leonis persuaded Odón to transfer the title of his portion of El Escorpión to him under the pretense of protecting the land from government confiscation; he then sold and transferred ownership of the property to Espíritu, never returning it to Odón. Around 1869, Leonis was also able to secure Urbano and Manuel's portions of El Escorpión. By 1871, Leonis had taken possession of Odon's remaining share of the El Escorpión land.
Leonis' relationship with Espíritu was controversial among the local Basque settlers who generally married Anglo-European women. Leonis did not allow Espíritu's son Juan José to live in the same house with them. Espíritu had a daughter with Leonis, Marcelina, in 1860; Marcelina would die of smallpox at 20 years old. In 1880, the couple moved their home three miles south to Calabasas; here, they remodeled an abandoned adobe into a two story adobe. In the early 1880s, Leonis persuaded Horace Bell, an attorney who had been his adversary, to work for him; Leonis began to win more suits against squatters in the lands he owned.
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Espíritu Chijulla
María del Espíritu Santo Chijulla, also known as Espíritu Chijulla (also spelled Chihuya), was an Indigenous Californian woman who became the first common-law spouse to win legal rights in California and inherited Rancho El Escorpión.
Her father was Odón Chijulla, a Chumash man Humaliwo who had been baptized at the San Fernando Rey de España Mission and was considered a leader (or chief) of the Fernandeños living in the western portion of the San Fernando Valley. While Odón was born in Humaliwo, his father had apparently been from the village at the base of Kas'ele'ew Peak known as Hukxa'oynga in Fernandeño-Tongva and Hu'wam in Ventureño Chumash; this village would later become the site of Rancho El Escorpión.
Her mother was Odón's wife, Juana Eusebia, a Tongva woman from a village near Santa Monica (possibly Guashna, Kuruvunga, or Topanga). Odón and Juana Eusebia had three daughters, Marcelina, María Dolores, and María del Espíritu and two sons, Bernabé and Tiburcio. Most of their children continued to remain associated with the Rancho El Escorpión land owned by Odón.
Marcelina married Urbano Chari a Fernandeño who became co-owner of the Rancho El Escorpión grant with her father; she later lived with Joaquín Romero who was also a partial owner of the rancho. María Dolores was first married to a Fernandeño named José "Polo," and then lived with José Arnaz, recipient of the San Buenaventura Ex-Mission grant, before finally settling down with Pierre Domec, a Frenchman who owned a lime kiln near El Escorpión; her eldest daughter María del Rosario married Carlos Leboubon, a Frenchman who worked for Domec. Leboubon won a court battle against Domec, after which he and María del Rosario settled near Saticoy. María Dolores's youngest daughter, María Antonia, married Francisco More who was of half indigenous and half Euroamerican ancestry who had been raised at Saticoy. Bernabé first married a Tataviam and Kitanemuk (or Kawaiisu) woman named Teodora; after her death he married Marta, a Tataviam/Fernandeña woman. He and Marta split and he continued to live in El Escorpión where he married Dolores, possibly the granddaughter of Urbano Chari. Bernabé eventually died by suicide when he hanged himself at the San Fernando Mission. Tiburcio had married an indigenous woman named Manuela and had two children, but no other records of his family past 1860 have been found.
María del Espíritu Santo Chijulla, born in 1836, was baptized in the San Fernando Mission. Her father Odón was, most likely, one of the forty petitioners who received a grant from governor Micheltorena on May 3, 1843. This grant was not preserved by governor Pico; however, in July 1845, Odón, his son-in-law Urbano Chari, and Urbano's son Manuel, negotiated joint ownership of a square league of land which became Rancho El Escorpión. Urbano and Manuel died in about 1860, and the El Escorpión land was either sold or lost by the end of the 1860s.
Espíritu Chijulla and her family spoke both Ventureño Chumash and Fernandeño Tongva, having roots in and inhabiting the multilingual community in El Escorpión.
Chijulla married José Antonio Menéndez in 1856 and had a son with him called Juan José Menéndez in 1857. After Menéndez's death, Miguel Leonis partnered with Chijulla in 1859. Leonis was a French-Basque settler who was active in the San Fernando Valley starting from around 1854. Leonis persuaded Odón to transfer the title of his portion of El Escorpión to him under the pretense of protecting the land from government confiscation; he then sold and transferred ownership of the property to Espíritu, never returning it to Odón. Around 1869, Leonis was also able to secure Urbano and Manuel's portions of El Escorpión. By 1871, Leonis had taken possession of Odon's remaining share of the El Escorpión land.
Leonis' relationship with Espíritu was controversial among the local Basque settlers who generally married Anglo-European women. Leonis did not allow Espíritu's son Juan José to live in the same house with them. Espíritu had a daughter with Leonis, Marcelina, in 1860; Marcelina would die of smallpox at 20 years old. In 1880, the couple moved their home three miles south to Calabasas; here, they remodeled an abandoned adobe into a two story adobe. In the early 1880s, Leonis persuaded Horace Bell, an attorney who had been his adversary, to work for him; Leonis began to win more suits against squatters in the lands he owned.
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