Tongva Sacred Springs 2023 March open house day 19

Tovaangar (''

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...

'': "the world") refers to the

world or homelands. It includes the greater area of the

Los Angeles Basin The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary Structural basin, basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an wikt:anomalous, anomalous group of east–west trending chains of mountai ...

, including the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

, northern Orange County, parts of

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of th ...

and

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

, and the southern

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

, including San Nicholas, Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara, and

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

. The homelands of the

Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, Indigenous languages of California See also

* Pentateuch (dis ...

are to the northwest, the

Tataviam The Tataviam (Kitanemuk: ''people on the south slope'') are a Native American group in Southern California. The ancestral land of the Tataviam people includes northwest present-day Los Angeles County and southern Ventura County, primarily in ...

to the north, the Serrano and

Cahuilla The Cahuilla, also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California. ...

to the east, and the

Acjachemen The Acjachemen () are an Indigenous people of California. Published maps often identify their ancestral lands as extending from the beach to the mountains, south from what is now known as Aliso Creek (Orange County), Aliso Creek in Orange County, ...

and Payómkawichum to the south.

Travel

Prior to

European colonialism The phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by various civilizations such as the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Han Chinese, and Ar ...

, land travel through Tovaangar largely occurred through an extensive network of trails traveled by Indigenous peoples throughout the region. Although not often recognized by name, many of these trails became roads and highways that are now used for automobile travel. One of the most significant was the

Mohave trail The Mojave Road, also known as Old Government Road (formerly the Mohave Trail), is a historic route and present day dirt road across what is now the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert in the United States. This rough road stretched ...

, which connected Tovaangar to nations in the east along, what the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

referred to as, the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

. Travel over water mainly occurred through tule reed boats for local travel through waterways. For ocean travel, particularly between the mainland and the villages on Pimuu'nga, Kinkipar, and Haraasnga, '' te'aats'' or ''ti'ats'' were common. These are wooden plank boats built by the Tongva currently in the ''Ti'at Society'' that are made air tight with a mixture of asphaltum and hold up to twelve people. A similar boat is the

* Pentateuch (dis ...

''tomol''. The Tongva and Chumash are unique in being the only two nations in the region with plank canoes of this kind.

Land

After the establishment of

Spanish missions in California The Spanish missions in California () formed a List of Spanish missions in California, series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. The missions were established by ...

and the

California genocide The California genocide was a series of genocidal massacres of the indigenous peoples of California by United States soldiers and settlers during the 19th century. It began following the American conquest of California in the Mexican–Americ ...

, all of Tovaangar has been taken out of the Tongva's

stewardship Stewardship is a practice committed to ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, places, property, information ...

. The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy has been established for the rematriation of Tongva homelands. In 2022, a was returned to the conservancy in Altadena, which marked the first time the Tongva had land under their stewardship in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

in nearly two-hundred years.

Villages

Los Angeles County

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

* Achooykomenga * Ashaawanga * Cahuenga * Ceegenga *

Momonga Momonga may refer to: * Japanese dwarf flying squirrel (''Pteromys momonga''), one of two species of Old World flying squirrels in the genus ''Pteromys'' * Momonga (village), a Tongva village located at what is now Chatsworth, Los Angeles * Ain ...

* Muhunga * Okowvinjha * Pakoinga *

Pasheeknga Achooykomenga (''Hispanicized'': Achoicominga or Achoycomihabit) is a former settlement that was located at the site of Mission San Fernando Rey de España before it was founded in 1797. Prior to the mission's founding, in the 1780s, it functione ...

* Pimocagna * Puntitavjatngna * Quapa * Saway-yanga * Sheshiikuanungna * Siutcanga * Totonga * Tuyunga Outskirts * Jucjauynga * Juyunga * Najabatanga * Puninga * Wikangna

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

* Alyeupkigna * Awigna * Azucsagna * Hahamongna * Isanthcogna * Jajamonga * Momwahomomutngna * Pemookangna * Shevaanga * Sibanga * Sonagna * Tooypinga * Torojoatngna * Toviscanga * Uchibit * Weniinga Outskirts * Haramoknga * Joatngna

Westside/ Central

* Comicranga * Geveronga * Guashna * Kuruvungna * Maugna * Ongobehangna * Otsungna *

Topanga Topanga (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is an unincorporated community in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow southern ...

Yaanga Yaanga was a large Tongva (or Kizh) village, originally located near what is now downtown Los Angeles, just west of the Los Angeles River and beneath U.S. Route 101 in California, U.S. Route 101. People from the village were recorded as ''Yabit ...

Gateway Cities The Gateway Cities region, or Southeast Los Angeles County, is an urbanized region located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, between the City of Los Angeles proper, Orange County, and the Pacific Ocean. The cluster of cities has ...

* Chokishgna * Houtngna * Huutngna * Juyubit * Nacaugna *

Puvunga Puvunga (alternatively spelled Puvungna or Povuu'nga) is an ancient village and sacred site of the Tongva nation, the Indigenous people of the Los Angeles Basin, and the Acjachemen, the Indigenous people of Orange County. The site is now locate ...

* Sejat * Seobit * Suangna * Tajauta * Tibagna

South Bay

* Aataveanga * Chowigna * Engvangna * Huachongna * Kiinkenga * Moniikanga * Ongovanga * Suangna * Toovemonga * Tsauvinga * Unavnga * Xuuxonga

Orange County

* Genga *

Hutuknga Hutuknga (alternative spellings: Hotuuknga or Hutuukuga) was a large Tongva village located in the foothills along the present channel of the Santa Ana River in what is now Yorba Linda, California. People from the village were recorded in mission ...

* Lupukngna * Motuucheyngna * Moyongna * Pajbenga * Pamajam * Puhú * Totpavit

San Bernardino County

* Homhoangna * Horuuvnga * Kaawchama * Rancho Cucamonga, California, Kuukamonga * Pasinogna, California, Pasinogna * Wa'atsngna * Wapijanga

Riverside County

* Horuuvngna * Pahavgna * Paxauxa * Shiishongna

Channel Islands

* Haraasnga ** Xaraashnga * Kinkipar ** Guinguina * Pimuu'nga ** Naayxoxar ** Pipiimar * Santa Barbara Island, Tchunashngna

References

{{Tongva villages Tongva Cultural regions of the United States Geography of California Geography of California by region Native American history of California History of Los Angeles County, California