The Tongva are a Native American people originally inhabiting the area in and around Los Angeles, California, previously known as the "Gabrieleño," "San Gabrieleño," or "Gabrielino" tribe. Tongva means "people of the earth" in the Tongvan language. (They are sometimes referred to as the Gabrieleño-Tongva tribe.) Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... The City of Los Angeles (from Spanish Los Ángeles , meaning the angels), also known as L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population, as well as one of the worlds most important economic, cultural, and entertainment centers. ...

The Tongva are one of only two New World peoples who regularly navigated the ocean. (The other was their neighbor to the immediate north, the Chumash). 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 ti'ats 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. Rafael, a Chumash in the 1800s The Chumash Indians, a Native American tribe, mainly inhabited the southern coastal regions of California, in the vicinity of what is now Santa Barbara and Ventura, extending as far south as Malibu. ... La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles Countys Miracle Mile District. ... The eight Channel Islands of California, off the west coast of North America. ... Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in Portuguese João Rodrigues Cabrilho, (ca 1499–January 3, 1543) was an explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America while sailing for Spain. ... San Pedro is the Spanish form of Saint Peter. ... Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. ...

Modern place names with Tongva origins include: Pacoima, Tujunga, Topanga, Rancho Cucamonga, Azusa, and Cahuenga Pass. Pacoima is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, in the northeastern San Fernando Valley. ... Tujunga is a district of Los Angeles, California. ... This article is about a town in Los Angeles County. ... Rancho Cucamonga is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Azusa is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... The Cahuenga Pass (pronounced co-enga) is a mountain pass through the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles, California. ...

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 32-mile path through the Angeles National Forest. The Creator God is the divine being that created the omniverse, according to various traditions and faiths. ... Quaoar is the name of a creation deity of the Native American Tongva people, native to the area around Los Angeles. ... This article is about the trans-Neptunian object. ... Artists rendering of the Kuiper Belt and more distant Oort cloud. ... County Los Angeles County, California Area  - Total  - Water 79. ... The Angeles National Forest was established by executive order in December, 1892. ...

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. University High School (known as Uni) is a secondary school located in West Los Angeles, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California near the border of Santa Monica. ...

Living in such a high growth area, many controversies have naturally arisen around land use issues relating to the Tongva. Balancing the needs of the approximately 300 member tribe with the millions of inhabitants of Los Angeles has 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. This article is about the largest city in California. ...

Another widely known controversy was over an area called Puvungna, which is believed by the 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. Undoubtedly, an undeveloped area this large in the Los Angeles basin will be coveted by developers again. California State University, Long Beach (also known as Long Beach State, Cal State Long Beach, CSULB, LBSU or The Beach!) is the largest campus of the California State University system and the second largest university in the state of California. ... The National Register of Historic Places is the USAs official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the traditional meaning of the word mall, see mall. ...

Historically, the Tongva, like most Native Americans, have lost many of their battles to preserve their lands and culture. Whether or not the Tongva will be able to maintain their culture and historic lands in the future is somewhat uncertain.

External links

• Gabrieleno/Tongva Tribal Council Web site
• http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Chumash/Tongva.html