Mosaic: Sacred Springs

Photo by Leslie Hall. Courtesy of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation

Click here to register.

The next episode of the Santa Monica Mosaic series continues this season’s celebration of the city’s diverse founding families by reaching back to our first community of families, the Tongva village at Kuruvungna. Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation president Bob Ramirez will present a historic overview of the Tongva in our region and the village site. Indigenous archaeologist Desiree Martinez will then offer a closeup view of daily family life at a typical Tongva village like Kuruvungna, from favorite foods to recreational activities and spiritual practices. Ramirez will return to tell the modern story of Kuruvungna, from its rescue to ongoing efforts to restore and enrich the site.

Kuruvungna, which means “place where we are in the sun,” is located around the site of ancient springs that provided fresh water for the thriving village and later, inspired the naming of Santa Monica and served as an early source of its water supply. The springs are pictured in the history mural at Santa Monica City Hall which is the subject of the City’s current Reframe initiative.

Today, the springs exist on the eastern edge of the University High School campus in West Los Angeles. The still-flowing waters feed a lush setting with native plants, wildlife and a traditional thatched kiiy. The site has been saved from further development and revitalized by descendants of the Tongva people, who lived there until they were forcibly relocated to the Mission San Gabriel by Spanish colonists in the late 1700s. Kuruvungna Springs is a testament to the Tongva’s spirit of survival, harmony with nature and continued relevance to the region. Click here to visit the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation‘s official website. Photo of traditional kiiy at Kuruvungna Village Springs by Steve Loeper.

The Mosaic: Sacred Springs livestream is a joint presentation of the Santa Monica Conservancy and Santa Monica History Museum. The program is free for both Santa Monica History Museum and Conservancy members, as well as for teachers and students. It is $10 for the general public.

Click here to register.

We will also offer two special in-person tours of the Springs at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 10th. Click here to register for a tour! 

About the Mosaic speakers…

Bob Ramirez is the President of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, and CEO of Ramirez Design Inc., developing custom homes and gardens in our local community. He is currently engaged in creating the Memorial Gardens at the Mission San Gabriel in honor of the original inhabitants of California. Passion for the art of building and love of adventure inspired Ramirez to explore the world as a young man leading to a multi-year circumnavigation of the globe.

Desireé Reneé Martinez has dedicated her life to obtaining the skills and knowledge to “combat the wanton destruction of Native American sacred and cultural sites,” especially those of her Tongva community. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. in Anthropology from Harvard University. Martinez is president of Cogstone Resource Management and a co-Director of the Pimu Catalina Island Archaeology Project.