Friends of Puvunga

Who We Are

Founded in 2020 and incorporated in 2021 as a 501(c)(3),  Friends of Puvungna, Inc. continues the legacy of the Committee to Save Puvungna. We focus on protecting and restoring Puvungna and other Indigenous lands while supporting the cultural and spiritual practices of local tribal communities. Through environmental stewardship, public education, and community engagement, we ensure future generations can continue practicing and celebrating a living culture while protecting their traditions. 

Why and How We Were Created

We were established to support the Tongva and Acjachemen community in protecting Puvungna, a 500-acre ancient village complex. Now partly occupied by California State University Long Beach (CSULB), it includes 22 acres of undeveloped land including two archaeological sites, representing the last remnant of this sacred site. Puvungna, meaning "The Gathering Place," is deeply significant to the Tongva, Acjachemen, and other tribes. It is the “place of emergence”, where the deity Wiyot came and populated the earth, and when he left, Chinigchnich, the prophet, came and taught the people how to survive and thrive.  In the 1990s, when CSULB threatened to develop this land, a coalition including tribal members, the ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Law, and the Native American Heritage Commission successfully halted the development. However, in 2019, CSULB endangered Puvungna again by dumping toxic soil and debris on the site. In response, we partnered with the California Cultural Preservation Alliance (CCRPA), Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, and the Acjachemen Nation-Belardes, leading to a 2021 settlement that preserved part of the land in perpetuity marking a major step toward achieving environmental justice for Puvungna.

Projects

Public Education and Awareness -  Build a Public Teaching Area and host educational workshops for our community with a focus on using Indigenous plants and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to restore Puvungna and offset climate change. 

Permaculture Classes - Offer Permaculture Certification courses to volunteers and community members to empower participants with skills in sustainable land management practices, emphasizing the interconnection between traditional Indigenous practices and modern permaculture principles. 

Land Restoration & Land Reuse Plan Development - Reintroduce native plant species that support pollinators, sequester carbon, and improve soil health. As a long term goal, we aim to remove all the toxic soil and construction debris that was dumped on the site. 

Fresh Food Basket Initiative - Provide free healthy food baskets

 to our community to support health and address food insecurity. 

Cultural and Ceremonial Programming - Continue to host cultural and ceremonial events for our community to preserve Indigenous traditions.  

Puvungna Latest News: https://sigtrib.com/friends-puvungna-preservation-csulb-denies-lone-applicant/     :  https://www.instagram.com/p/DIP0LKhv-7t/?igsh=Mzc3ZTVlOWMwZA==