Have you ever visited the Tongva (TongVAY) Village of YaAnga?

Tongva Village? Yaanga? Where is that?

Well...Look at the map below. Can you locate the village of Yaanga?

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Yes. It is today's city of Los Angeles, California! The Tongva are a Native American Indian tribe that had many villages in Southern California. Their people lived in this region for about 5,000 years, mostly along the four fresh water rivers and many small streams that flow in Southern California. They hunted deer and rabbits, for example, and ate many roots, berries and nuts. Their villages were not large -- the largest had maybe 2,000 residents -- but they had about 100 villages. One village, not far from our main campus at Chaffey College, was called Kukumonga. Researchers think it might have been located on a stream that today we call Lytle Creek, near the 210 Freeway and Sierra Avenue. This place is now named Rancho Cucamonga, which means Rancho Rocky Place...or Ranch of the Rocky Place. The name is part Spanish and part Tongvay, and the city is totally American.

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These two ladies are Tongva. They lived at a Catholic mission where many California Indians lived in the 1800s. The story of the Tongva is both beautiful and sad. When the Spanish came to California in 1776, they began to build a large number of mission churches up and down the state. These were places where the Spanish church leaders and priests often welcomed Indians to the Catholic faith. They grew corn, beans and grapes and raised a lot of cattle. Some Tongva joined the churches because they wanted to, but others were forced to live on mission grounds as well. And I do mean forced...like slaves. Spanish soldiers and Indians sometimes married (a beautiful thing), and often their children (also beautiful), like the ladies above, spoke both Spanish and Tongva. The descendants of the Tonva and Spanish and Mexican settlers sometimes live near these churches today, and many feel a special connection to the churches. Others do not. And the sad thing? The Spanish brought diseases with them like small pox and the flu, but the Tongva people had no immunity. Thousands of them died in the 1800s from disease. And there was conflict from time to time as well. Still, many Tongva lived in the missions and raised their families in the church, and they built stunningly beautiful buildings.

You can go visit the missions today. The mission above is located in the East Bay, in the city of Fremont, very close to where the car company Tesla makes its cars. The photos below are of Mission San Juan Capistrano, located in Orange County (about 45 minutes from our campus). The structures are original. The paintings, walls, floors, gardens and structures were first created with Indian hands.

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Californians show their love and respect for the Tongva and our Spanish and Mexican and American ancestors by preserving and protecting these missions. The Catholic Church holds masses, baptisms, and weddings in them often. These are sacred places. They are active churches. Many Tongva families, Spanish priests, Mexican families, and American families are buried in the cemeteries at the missions. Therefore, when you visit, go ahead and light a candle in their memory. Many people do this as a symbol of the peace we all desire for our children, our people, and our land. California. And when you enjoy the art, smell the flowers in the gardens, listen to the bells, and look upon the architecture, please remember...we, like they who came before, are lilies of the field. Blooming today, and gone tomorrow!