DESCRIPTION:
This is a love song, about Bartolomea and Hugo Reid
Bartolomea was a prestigious and powerful member of the Gabrielino town “Comicranga” on the outskirts of the pueblo of Los Angeles. Growing up in the San Gabriel Mission, Dona Eulalia Perez took Bartolomea under her wing and taught her the manners and traditions of a “fine Spanish Lady” . She married an Indian man, Pablo Maria and had four children with him. Hugo Reid was immediately attracted to her and quickly went to the mission upon Pablo’s death in 1837. Being the daughter of the leader of the tribe, also known as the tomyaar, not only did she have power within the tribe but upon her marriage to the Scottish traveler Hugo Reid she gained indirect power within the European realm as well .Hugo Reid wrote a series of letters to the Los Angeles Star Newspaper about the Gabrielinos and boldly stated that the mission Indians were not well. He documented their customs and highlighted their sufferings. It is assumed that his information about their way of life came directly from "Victoria" Bartolomea Reid and her family.