Serra Springs (California)

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Serra Springs is California State Historical Landmark number 522, and is located on the campus of University High School in Los Angeles County. [1] The springs, called Kuruvungna by the native Gabrieleno Tongva people, were used as natural fresh water source by the Tongva people since 400 B.C.E., and continue to produce 22,000 - 25,000 gallons of water a day. [2] The springs are also sometimes referred to as the Gabrieleno Tongva Springs, the Tongva Holy Springs, and the Sacred Springs. The springs have a UCLA Archaeological designation of CA-LAN-382. [3]

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[edit] History

The name Kuruvungna, which means “a place where we are in the sun,” [4] comes from the name of a village that was located at the site of the springs. The Portolá Expedition of 1769, one of the two expeditions that led to the founding of Los Angeles, camped at that village, while traveling along the route that would become known as El Camino Real. [5] The Tongva gave them watercress, pashí (chia) and fresh water from the spring.[6]

The Tongva were described in unpublished diary of Father Juan Crespi, who traveled with the Portolá Expedition of 1769:

"... as we arrived and set up camp, six very friendly, compliant tractable heathens came over, who had their little houses roofed with grass, the first we have been seeing of this sort. Three of them came wearing a great deal of paint; all of them, however unarmed. They brought four or six bowls of usual seeds and good sage which they presented to our captain; on me they bestowed a good sized string of the sort of beads that they all have, made of white sea shells and red ones (though not very bright colored) that look to be coral, though of a very inferior sort."[4]

The name Serra comes from Father Junípero Serra the founder of the Alta California mission chain, who is reported to have said Mass to there. [7]

In the 1800s, the spring served as the water supply for the city of Santa Monica.[2]

[edit] University High School

Shortly after the annexation of Sawtelle, construction began at the springs to build Warren G. Harding High School, later renamed University High School. Construction at the school in 1925 unearthed evidence of an Indian village.[5]

In 1975, a grave containing a small skeleton and soapstone bowls was discovered by students and a science teacher from what archaeologists now believe to be a burial site.[5] This grave was dated to approximately 4000 BCE and the character of the bowls suggested kinship with the culture of Santa Catalina Island in the same era.[citation needed]

In 1980 Indian Springs Continuation High School, which is housed on the part of the campus where the springs are, was opened.[8]

In 1992, developers proposed an underground parking lot one block north of the springs which would have cut off the spring's water. In response, tribal descendants, community members and teachers and students from the school founded a non-profit foundation, the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation, and after a two-year fight, the proposed parking structure was voted down.[4][6]

The foundation currently leases the site from the Los Angeles Unified School District in order to use the location for their monthly ceremony and guided tours, and received a $7,000 grant from Los Angeles' Environmental Affairs Department to enhance the area with different types of trees, vines and herbs.[4]

In 1992, the newly established Gabrieleno Springs Foundation held the first annual Life Before Columbus Day event. [3] The event takes place just before Columbus day every year and celebrates the history of the land and of the Tongva people. Previous events have drawn more than 600 people,[4] including Native Americans from various tribes, local politicians, community members and students and faculty from the school.[9][10] The event includes tours of the Kuruvunga Village site and springs, performances by dancers from the Tongva and Aztec tribe and storytelling from the Chumash tribe. [9][10]There are also hands-on activities like corn-doll making, rock painting, and tortilla making, offered by authentic Native American vendors. [9][10]

In 1998, Governor Wilson signed senate bill SB 1956. The Bill, introduced by Senator Tom Hayden, required the California Department of Parks and Recreation to, "seek to establish a permanent cultural and ecological site at the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs", and called for the creation of a task force created by University High School's administration, "in consultation with the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation and the Los Angeles Unified School District". The bill appropriated $50,000 to the department to be spent on a local assistance grant to the task force, "to plan for the preservation of the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs, and property adjacent thereto...in order to enhance environmental, cultural, and educational opportunities."[11]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ California State Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County at CERES
  2. ^ a b Motion (Department of Transportation) for installion of ceremonial street signs
  3. ^ a b Annual "Life Before Coumbus Day Event"
  4. ^ a b c d e Fisher, Cory. "Before Columbus", Westside Weekly, October 11, 1998. Retrieved on 2007-04-30. 
  5. ^ a b c "West Los Angeles Community Plan", www.lacity.org/PLN, May 2001, pp. III-29 - III-30. Retrieved on 2007-04-30. 
  6. ^ a b Carpenter, Susan. "LA School Uses Sacred Tongva Site To Celebrate Columbus Day", Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-04-30. 
  7. ^ Koenig, Alexa. "Lost in the Shuffle: State-Recognized Tribes and the Tribal Gaming Industry", The Berkeley Electronic Press, 2005, pp. 8. Retrieved on 2007-04-26. 
  8. ^ California Department of Education's California School Directory
  9. ^ a b c Shapiro, Regina. "Heritage Celebrated", Wildcat, October 21, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-04-30. 
  10. ^ a b c Roberts, Seth. "Before Columbus Day Festival Celebrates Indigenous Roots", Wildcat, October 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-05-26. 
  11. ^ SB 1956 Ammended

[edit] External links

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