Everything about Tongva totally explained
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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-Aztecan family. The Tongva are also sometimes referred to as the
Gabrieleño/Tongva (often written "Gabrieleno/Tongva") or
Gabrielino/Tongva tribe. Following the Spanish custom of naming local tribes after nearby missions, they were called the
Gabrieleño,
Gabrielino, or
San Gabrieleño in reference to
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. Likewise, the nearby
Tataviam people were known as "Fernandeño" after
Mission San Fernando Rey de España.
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-names with Tongva origins include:
Pacoima,
Tujunga,
Topanga,
Rancho Cucamonga,
Azusa, and
Cahuenga Pass.
The name of their
creation deity,
Quaoar, has been used to name a
large object in the
Kuiper belt. A 2,656-foot summit in the
Verdugo Mountains, in
Glendale, has been named
Tongva Peak. The
Gabrielino Trail is a 28-mile path through the
Angeles National Forest.
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 by the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation. The spring, which flows at 22,000 gallons per 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.
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 because of 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-Tongva Tribe (sometimes called the "hyphen" group) are the two primary factions advocating a casino for the Tongva nation and sharing of revenues to all tribal members. The Gabrielino/Tongva Tribal Council of San Gabriel is the primary faction that doesn't support gaming for its members. None of the organizations are recognized by the federal government.
The San Gabriel council broke apart over concessions given to the developers of
Playa Vista and a proposal to build an Indian casino in
Compton, California. A Santa Monica faction (parents of the "slash" and "hyphen" groups) was formed which advocated gaming for the tribe. Both the San Gabriel council and Santa Monica faction sued each other over allegations that the San Gabriel faction removed members to increase shares for other members and that tribal records were stolen in order for the Santa Monica faction to gain federal recognition. Since that time, the San Gabriel faction hasn't advocated gaming.
The "slash" and "hyphen" groups broke apart in September 2006 when tribal secretary Sam Dunlap and tribal attorney Jonathan Stein confronted each other over various alleged fiscal improprieties and derogatory comments made to each other. Since that point, the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribe has hired former state senator
Richard Polanco to be its chief executive officer. The Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe has allied with Stein and issued warrants for the arrest of Polanco and the members of the Gabrielino-Tongva's tribal council.
Stein's group has proposed a casino to be built in
Garden Grove, California, approximately two miles south of
Disneyland. In September 2007, the
city council of Garden Grove unanimously rejected the casino proposal, instead choosing to build a water park on the land.
Population
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially.
Alfred L. Kroeber suggested a 1770 population of the Gabrielino of 5,000, and most subsequent scholars have accepted this estimate.
Currently there are 1,500 or more members in the Tongva tribe. The Tongva are currently working towards re-establishing long-lost family ties.
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.
In 2007 and early 2008, over 174 ancient American Indian remains were unearthed by archaeologists at a development site of Brightwater Hearthside Homes in the Bolsa Chica Mesa area in
Orange County, California. This land was once shared by both the Tongva and
Acjachemem. The site was in legal limbo for years before Heartside was given permission to start construction/development of over 300 homes. Both Tongva and Acjachemem Indians are in dispute of over the remains and how to handle them.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tongva'.
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