Long before Christopher Columbus set foot on the Americas, the continents were inhabited by complex and sophisticated tribes of indigenous people today known as Native Americans.<\/p>\n
While today marks Columbus Day\u2014with the White House recently touting<\/a> the Italian explorer\u2019s \u201chistoric achievement\u201d in first spotting the land\u2014many cities around the United States have shifted toward celebrating the Natives of the country instead.<\/p>\n In Long Beach, and the greater Los Angeles area, those Natives were the Tongva people (also known as Gabrielinos for the Spanish missions built on their territory) who lived in Southern California for thousands of years.<\/p>\n The Long Beach City Council officially recognized it last year through a unanimously voted resolution.<\/p>\n https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/city-council-puts-its-support-behind-indigenous-people-s-day-in-long-beach\/<\/p>\n Long Beach city officials may not have had a ceremony prepared for Indigenous Peoples Day, but that doesn\u2019t mean the public can\u2019t learn more about the Tongva natives.<\/p>\n Rancho Los Cerritos is currently exhibiting Tevaaxa\u2019nga (Te-vaah-ha-nga) to Today: Stories of the Tongva People<\/a> through September 2019. The exhibit celebrates the history and culture of the Tongva.<\/p>\n However, the Tongva descendants have been able to secure their place in modern day land beyond museums\u2014nowhere more prevalent than on the campus of Cal State Long Beach, the former site of the Puvungna village<\/a>, once populated by the Tongva people. In 2016, CSU officials commemorated the reburial of tribal ancestors who were excavated in the 1950s for redevelopment plans that were eventually stopped.<\/p>\n 48th Annual Puvungna Pow Wow Showcases Native American Culture<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n