The site of Otsungna is located near the neighborhood of El Sereno, Los Angeles (pictured).

Otsungna was a Tongva village located in what is now the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles, California[1] and California State University, Los Angeles.[2] It was referenced as the "Otsungna Prehistoric Village Site" in the construction of State Route 710.[3] The village has alternatively been referred to as Ochuunga, derived from the Tongva language word for "wild rose"[4] and possibly translating to "Place of Roses."[5]

History

The village was located north and west of the large village of Yaanga connected via a trail with the other village of Shevaanga.[6][7] Spanish priest José Zalvidea noted that the village was located "on the road from San Gabriel to Los Angeles."[4] This was a pre-Columbian trail that was used extensively prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers.[4]

Although evidence of the village has been largely destroyed, it has been proposed that El Sereno was established adjacent to Otsungna as an early Spanish colonial settlement in the Los Angeles area since Tongva laborers were essential to the construction of the city and early settlements were often constructed near preexisting Tongva villages.[2]

References

  1. ^ Heinecke, Liz Lee (2022-02-08). The Kitchen Pantry Scientist Physics for Kids: Science Experiments and Activities Inspired by Awesome Physicists, Past and Present; with 25 Illustrated Biographies of Amazing Scientists from Around the World. Quarry Books. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-7603-7243-2.
  2. ^ a b Society, El Sereno Historical. "El Sereno Historical Society". El Sereno Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  3. ^ "Executive Summary Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Section (f)" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – via Metro.
  4. ^ a b c "An Indigenous Peoples Vision for Reclaiming our Community". www.dignidad.org. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  5. ^ J. N. Bowman, "The Rose of Castile", Western Folklore, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jul., 1947), pp. 204–210, Western States Folklore Society.
  6. ^ Calif.), Southwest Museum (Los Angeles (1968). Southwest Museum Papers. Southwest Museum. pp. 122–23.
  7. ^ Hernández, Kelly Lytle (2017-02-15). City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771–1965. UNC Press Books. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4696-3119-6.
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