Local students explore the world of the Tongva, the true Hermosa locals
A student in Juli Pustaver’s fourth-grade class at Hermosa Valley works on his conch-blowing skills at the Hermosa Beach Museum. Looking on is docent Carol Reznichek, and Tongva Indian Julia Bogany, who made a presentation to the students about the Tongva Indian tribe. Photo
Our Lady of Guadalupe fourth graders with teacher Donna Betts and Tongva Indian Julia Bogany at the Hermosa Beach Museum. Photo by Kevin
Cries of “Yamohini!” seeped out of the Hermosa Beach Museum Tuesday afternoon.
Students in Juli Pustaver’s fourth-grade class marched out shouting the word, which comes from the Tongva language and translates as “Until we meet again,” after an afternoon of learning about the Tongva, the primary American Indian tribe in Southern California prior to the arrival of Europeans.
Pustaver’s class was one of five, fourth-grade classes at Hermosa Valley and a class at Our Lady of Guadalupe to visit the Hermosa Museum to learn about the Tongva. Students listened to Julia Bogany, a Native American consultant for the Gabrielino/Tongva tribe, describe the culture and customs of the Tongva, then had a chance to make their own Tongva necklaces and play a “ring toss” game once favored by Tongva children.
Students first study California history in fourth grade, and the American Indian experience has long been a part of the curriculum. Fourth graders for generations have read “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” the truth-inspired novel of a native girl’s struggle to survive after being alone on one of the Channel Islands. But in recent years Tongva community members and academics from regional universities have teamed up to take students deeper.
Last year was the first iteration the “Tongva experience” at the Hermosa Museum. Pustaver said the students heard about it from their friends who were fourth-graders last year and were looking forward to the day.
Bogany, who has collaborated with faculty at UCLA and Cal State Dominguez Hills on the Teaching Tongva project, shared some of the mythology of the Tongva with the students. (The Tongva were avid fishermen, but never caught dolphin because they believed the mammals were people reincarnated.)
She also told the students that her great-granddaughter, now 12, is one of few people able to speak the Tongva language, which linguists had declared all but dead. And although the language remains at risk, the imprint of Tongva words will be familiar to any Southern Californian who has ever sat in traffic: “Tujunga,” comes from the Tongva for “place of the old woman”; “Cahuenga” roughly translates to “place of the fox.”
After learning that the Tongva made baskets and beads out seaweed, students had a chance to make their own beaded necklaces. Getting up to return to class, necklaces still hanging at the chests, several students offered their verdict:
“This was the best field trip ever!”