Category Archives: cal state long beach

California State University, Long Beach (also known as Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach State, CSULB, LBSU, or The Beach) with nearly 40,000 students and faculty, covers 323 acres and was built over the village of Puvungna in 1949. CSULB is the largest campus of the California State University system and the second largest university in the state of California by enrollment.

Puvungna – the children’s storybook

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Puvungna is a story about two kids who travel back in time and discover an ancient Indian village along the shores of a Southern California beach and the secret behind its disappearance over five hundred years ago. Puvungna was inspired by a true story, and the mysterious artifacts the children discovered while seeking adventures in the overgrown fields and along the shoreline near his home.

The real Puvungna is a long-forgotten village that was once populated by the indigenous Tongva people of Southern California. Puvungna is considered sacred and believed to be the the place of creation and birthplace of Chinigchinich, a prophet and the spiritual leader of the native Tongva. Today, the last remnants of the village of Puvungna is located near the Pacific Ocean on the campus of California State University, Long Beach.

Tongva, means “people of the earth” in their native language, called Southern California their home for many thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans. While little is known about the ancient Tongva people today, the names for many of their villages live on as the names of cities and places across Southern California, including Azusa, Cucamonga, Pacoima, Tujunga,Topanga, Cahuenga, and many others.

Puvungna was in print from 1975 until 2009. Previously-owned and former library copies of the book can be found occasionally on eBay and through used book sellers.