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V Keeping Kuruvungna Alive

  • Lennon Miura

PLACE | WATER | CULTURE | CARE | FUTURE

Kuruvungna is a sacred Gabrielino/Tongva place in Los Angeles. Fresh water still rises here, supporting plants, wildlife, and community. Gabrielino/Tongva people continue to gather here. GTSF stewards and Village Volunteers care for the land, supported by students, donors, and partners.

Kiiy at Kuruvungna The kiiy is a traditional Tongva architectural form for homes. Kiiy are constructed with the tule plant which grows in riparian systems and at Kuruvungna Springs.

THE SPRINGS GIVE LIFE

Fresh water rises from the ground and gives life to this rare habitat. Kuruvungna is one of the last natural spring areas in Los Angeles and California Historical Landmark No. 522. The Springs connect water, plants, wildlife, culture, and community. They invite humility, gratitude, and respect.

RESTORATION TAKES A VILLAGE

Village Volunteers tend native plants, remove weeds, and care for the Springs. They also prepare tule that may be used to build a kiiy, a traditional Gabrielino/Tongva home. Working side by side supports plant and animal relatives. This care creates space for learning, art, ceremony, and gathering.

Volunteering is a way to walk in reciprocity with Kuruvungna, to give back through care. For Gabrielino/Tongva people and other Indigenous communities, stewardship can also be a time to gather and share knowledge. It can renew connections to culture, community, and land.

CARE GROWS THE FUTURE

Since 1992, GTSF has protected and restored Kuruvungna. Partners and volunteers grow native plants in the spring-fed nursery and expand gardens. They also care for a planted basin called a bioswale, which filters runoff. Five oaks planted through The Broad’s Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar support water, wildlife, culture, and future generations.

WITH GRATITUDE TO OUR DONORS, VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS

San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians (Gabrieleno/Tongva) | The Bay Foundation | Riessa Foundation | Theodore Payne Foundation | Descanso Gardens | Friends of Ballona Wetlands | Heal the Bay | Surfrider Foundation | UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden | UCLA American Indian Studies Department | UCLA American Indian Studies Center | UCLA World Arts & Cultures/Dance | UCLA School of Education & Information Studies | The Broad | Getty / PST ART | Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) | City of Santa Monica | Troop 2 of Santa Monica | St. Monica Catholic Community | Santa Monica Conservancy

WALK WITH US IN RECIPROCITY.

Learn from the Springs. Care for the land. Help Kuruvungna flourish for future generations.

GABRIELINO-TONGVA SPRINGS FOUNDATION
kuruvungna.org

Kuruvungna Springs Sign Commissioned by GTSF, this sign is posted at the Barrington Parking Lot entrance, at the gate to enter Kuruvvungna.

SOURCES

  1. GTSF website and newsletter excerpts, 2026 ↩︎

  2. The Broad / Getty PST ART, Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar ↩︎

  3. Surfrider Foundation, Kuruvungna stewardship ↩︎

  4. Jurmain and McCawley, O, My Ancestor, 2009 ↩︎

  5. Smith, ed., Know We Are Here, 2023 ↩︎

  6. LAND, Endless Wellspring, https://www.nomadicdivision.org/projects-and-programs/endless-wellspring, 2025 ↩︎

  7. Photos and logo: GTSF, kuruvungna.org ↩︎

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