Puvunga facts for kids
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Puvunga Indian Village Sites and Boundary Increase
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The Puvunga site on the campus of Cal State Long Beach
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Long Beach, California |
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| Architect | Tongva |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000521 (original) 82000429 (increase) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | January 21, 1974 |
| Boundary increase | May 22, 1982 |
Puvunga (alternate spelling: Puvungna or Povuu'nga) is an ancient village and sacred site of the Tongva nation, who are the indigenous peoples of the region around Los Angeles, California, and the Acjachemen who are the indigenous people of Orange County. The Tongva referred to Puvunga as the "place of emergence" and it is where they believed "their world and their lives began." Puvunga is believed to be the birthplace of Chingishnish in Tongva mythology, "the prophet or deity who appears at Puvunga after Wiyot, the creator, has been killed, and tells the assembly what they must do in order to feed themselves."
The site is located near the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden on the campus of present-day California State University, Long Beach along the banks of a now channelized creek, about three miles (5 km) from the Pacific Ocean. A portion of the site (which is unmarked with a sign or other informational marker) comprises a natural area located at the edge of campus, near a parking lot. At one time this site had a natural spring, and the location is sometimes referred to as Puvunga Spring. Another similar (but larger) Tongva site is Kuruvungna Springs on the grounds of University High School in Los Angeles.
