LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Nestled between the 405 Freeway and Santa Monica Boulevard is the historical heritage of the Kuruvungna Village Springs and Cultural Center.
When visiting, you will be welcomed by native species like white sage, ponds and a massive, centuries-old cypress tree.
“Kuruvungna in our language means ‘place under the sun,’ but the place has had a lot of names,” Kimberly Morales-Johnson, vice president of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, said. “I prefer to think of it as the sacred springs, just because there’s not too many places in Los Angeles where water is still coming from Mother Earth.”
The history of the sacred springs is far older than the development that now surrounds it.
Today, it is located at University High School.
In the 1700’s, the Spanish forcibly relocated the Tongva and other native peoples to the Mission San Gabriel.
“People lived here. This was their home,” Angie Dorame Behrns of the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians said.
Behrns is also a co-founder and former president of GTSF, which helped save, preserve and steward the land now registered as a historical site.
“This was always my vision for this area,” Behrns said. “To have a museum and tell our history, tell our side of the story.”
You can learn that history through native artifacts on display, like a grinding stone, or dolls and homes made of the native tule plant.
The foundation preserves the sacred springs and welcomes visitors on the first Saturday of every month.
“My hope for a visitor while they come here is to find healing and peace, and just a place that offers tranquility,” Morales-Johnson said.
Latoya and Andrew Granados visited the site recently with their young daughters.
“Because we are not native to this space, it’s really important that we learn how to respect it in a way that benefits the people who are native to this space,” Latoya Granados said, describing her visit as very emotional.
“Los Angeles is Indian land. It is Indian Country,” Morales-Johnson said. “We are the Gabrieleno-Tongva from the San Gabriel Mission, and we are still here.”
Behrns said community support is always needed.
The foundation is made up of volunteers and leases the land from the Los Angeles Unified School District.
To the Gabrieleno-Tongva, the space is testament to the resilience of their ancestors.
“The springs are here as just another reminder of how strong our tribe was and still is,” Morales-Johnson said. “It speaks to the perseverance of the tribe and the cultural continuity.”
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