“Paayme” sung by Lazaro Arvizu Jr.

Lazaro Arvizu Jr. is an artist, educator, musician, and researcher dedicated to the culture of the First Peoples of Los Angeles. In the video he performs the song “Paayme”, meaning “West” in the Tongva language, which he wrote with his mother Virginia Carmelo.

With the LA River as a backdrop, Lazaro sings about moving West to find water, only to be confronted with a different reality once there. Watch the video for more.

Lazaro Arvizu Jr. is an artist, educator, musician, and researcher dedicated to the culture of the first people of Los Angeles. Born in the Los Angeles Basin, he is knowledgeable of the landscape and cosmology of the Gabrielino culture. He has worked for over 20 years facilitating creative and meaningful cultural experiences to people of all ages and walks of life, in many venues.