About Jenee Ornelas

Jenée Robin Ornelas is an enrolled citizen of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, with heritage to the villages in the San Fernando, Simi, and Santa Clarita valleys and is also of Filipina descent. Born and raised in her ancestral homeland of San Fernando Valley, Ornelas is the granddaughter of the previous Tribal leader Captain Rudy Ortega Sr. and great-great granddaughter of Tribal Captain Antonio Maria Ortega, who spent his life protecting their ancestral lands in local courts in the 19th century. She is a member of Siutcabit, the lineage originating in present-day Encino. Ornelas graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2019 with a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development and is a member of the TAU SIGMA National Honors Society for Transferred Students. Since 2016, Ornelas has served her tribe as the Education and Cultural Learning Department’s Program Director. Through her work, she oversaw the publication of the first ever Fernandeño Tataviam Language Workbook. She enjoys practicing the Fernandeño Tataviam language with her niece, practicing her beadwork, and promoting the legacy of her lineage and people.