Be part of a vision for Kuruvungna Springs for generations to come. Celebrate Native American culture & launch a grassroots campaign to urge LAUSD to sign a 60-year lease with Gabrieleno/Tongva Springs Foundation covering the Springs, the Kuruvungna village site, and the brand-new Cultural Center and Museum. 

Join us to talk about a wider vision for the sacred and historic land which houses a Tongva Cultural Center, the Springs, native plant grounds, an amphitheater and dozens of mature trees. In recent years, the community has spoken out to keep the land sacred and protect it from developers who wanted to build a parking lot for a newly-planned YMCA at University High School. Together, we can protect the Springs for the future.

Bring a sack lunch or dish to share at the picnic tables. If you have a guitar or flute, bring that too – as we will sing a few songs, and please wear casual clothes, in case you want to help plant fruits or California native plants.

The springs, called Kuruvungna by the native Gabrieleno Tongva people, were used as a natural fresh water source by the Tongva people since the 5th century BC and by the City of Santa Monica in the 20th century. The name Kuruvungna, which means “a place where we are in the sun,”comes from the name of a village that was located at the site of the springs (Wikipedia).

The work of the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation has drawn wide recognition for its preservation of Kuruvungna Springs. In 1994, California designated the entire University High School campus and unique water sources as State Historic Site 522. In 1998 SB 1956, legislation introduced by then-Senator Tom Hayden, required the California Department of Parks and Recreation to create "a permanent cultural and ecological site at the Gabrielino/Tongva Springs."