Tongva may also refer to the Tongva language.
The Tongva are a Native American people
who inhabited the area in and around Los Angeles, California before the arrival of
Europeans. Tongva means "people of the earth" in the Tongva language, a language
in the Uto-
History
Along with the Chumash, their neighbors to the north, the Tongva are among the few
New World peoples who regularly navigated the ocean. They built seaworthy canoes,
called ti'at, using planks that were sewn together, edge to edge, and then caulked
and coated with either pine pitch, or, more commonly, the tar that was available
either from the La Brea Tar Pits, or as asphaltum that had washed up on shore from
offshore oil seeps. These titi'at could hold as many as 12 people and all their gear
and all the trade goods they were carrying to trade with other people, either along
the coast or on one of the Channel Islands. The Tongva canoed out to greet Spanish
explorer Juan Cabrillo when he arrived off the shores of San Pedro in 1542.
Modern
place-
The name of their creation deity, Quaoar, has been used
to name a large object in the Kuiper belt. A 2,656-
In the 1990s, Kuruvungna Springs, a natural spring located
on the site of a former Tongva village on the campus of University High School in
West Los Angeles, was revitalized due to the efforts of the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs
Foundation. The spring, which produces 22,000 gallons of water each day, is considered
by the Tongva to be one of their last remaining sacred sites and is regularly used
for ceremonial events.
Living in such a high growth area, many controversies have
naturally arisen around land use issues relating to the Tongva. Conflicts between
the Tongva and the rapidly expanding population of Los Angeles have often had to
be resolved in the courts. Burial grounds have been inadvertently disturbed by developers.
The tribe has complained about bones being broken by archeologists studying the site.
Another widely known controversy was over an area called Puvungna, which is the birthplace
of the Tongva prophet Chingishnish, and is believed by some Tongva to be the place
of creation. The site, formerly home to a Tongva village and also containing an active
spring, is located on the grounds of what is today California State University, Long
Beach. While a portion of Puvungna (a burial ground on the western edge of the campus)
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, nevertheless developers have
repeatedly attempted, beginning in 1992, to build a strip mall in the area. They
were blocked by the courts after petition by the Tongva for relief.
Historically,
the Tongva, like most Native Americans, have lost many of their battles to preserve
their lands and culture. Whether the Tongva will be able to maintain their culture
and historic lands in the future is somewhat uncertain.
The library of Loyola Marymount
University, located in Los Angeles, has an extensive collection of archival materials
related to the Tongva and their history.
Tribal Councils
There is no single organization accepted by the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation. This is
largely due to a controversy regarding opening a casino on land that would be considered
part of the Gabrielino/Tongva's homeland. The Gabrielino/Tongva Tribe (sometimes
called the "slash" group) and Gabrielino-
pulation
Estimates for the pre-
Currently there are 1500 or more members in the Tongva
tribe[http://tongvatribe.net] and others that are coming forward each day. The Tongva
are currently working towards re-
Recent archaeological research
In February 2006, archaeologists uncovered a prehistoric milling area estimated to
be 8,000 years old at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains near Azusa, California.
The find included about 100 tools used by the Tongva tribe.[http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2006-
References
See also
Gabrielino traditional narratives
External links
There is no single governing body accepted by all Tongva:
[http://www.tongvatribe.org
Gabrielino-
[http://www.tongva.com Gabrieleno/Tongva Tribal Council of
San Gabriel]
[http://www.tongvatribe.net Gabrielino-
[http://www.onionskin.com/gabrielino/ Gabrielino Tongva Springs
Foundation]
[http://members.aol.com/perrismuseum/tongva.htm A Tongva History brief]
on the
[http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Chumash/Tongva.html
Tongva (Gabrielinos)]
[http://avim.parks.ca.gov Antelope Valley Indian Museum] (includes
a searchable database of its collections, which include many Tongva artifacts)
[http://gabrielinofamilymembers.thelittleusedstore.com/index.html
Gabrielino Indians seeking out long lost family members]
References
Johnston, Bernice Eastman. 1962. California's Gabrielino Indians. Southwest Museum,
Los Angeles.
Kroeber, A. L. 1925. Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of
American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. Washington, D.C.
McCawley, William. 1996. The
First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles. Malki Museum Press, Banning,
California. ISBN 0-
Category:Native
American tribes in California
Category:History of Los Angeles
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hr:Gabrieleño
