Tongva

Imagine a time long, long ago, when the land where Los Angeles is now was home to the Tongva people. They lived in about 100 villages, like neighborhoods, and were super connected to nature. They loved their home, which was a big area of about 4,000 square miles, including beautiful islands off the coast. They were the first people to call this amazing place home!

The Tongva were amazing sailors! They built special boats called te'aats, which were like long canoes made of wood pieces tied together. They used these boats to travel and trade with other groups. They traded yummy foods and useful things. It was like a big, ancient shopping network that stretched across the water and land. They were really smart about using what nature gave them.

One day, explorers from far away arrived in boats. The Tongva greeted them with friendly canoes. The explorers saw lots of smoke from cooking fires and called the area the 'Bay of Smokes.' The Tongva were smoking fish to keep it fresh, which was a clever way to store food. This was the first time the Tongva met people from Europe, and it changed everything.

Sadly, after the visitors came, life changed a lot for the Tongva. They were sometimes forced to move and work in places called missions. New sicknesses also arrived that made many people very ill. Even though things got tough, the Tongva people are still here today, and their story is an important part of California's history. They are working to keep their culture alive.