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San Gabriel Area Tongva Villages (Photo Courtesy: Google Images)
San Gabriel Valley - The Tongva, part of the Uto-Aztecan Native Americans originally occupied and land along the Rio Hondo River, which is a branch of the San Gabriel River. Long before the Spaniards explored the area, they made their homes in a large part of the Los Angeles basin, including Santa Catalina and other local islands. And, the Hahanogna Tribe, a division of the Tongva, occupied the northern part of the valley down toward Pasadena.
The Tongva were a beautiful people, who tattooed their bodies, and men and women alike wore long hair. They lived in dome-like buildings with thatched exteriors and used ti’ats, or plank-type canoes, for water travel.
With a language referred to as “Gabrielino” by the Spaniards, the Tongva are responsible for many of the city names we currently use today: Pomona was called Piwongna; Pasadena was Pasakeg-na, and Cucamonga was referred to as Cucomog-na. Today, several groups of the Tongva people still live in the area.
