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- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Real Estate
The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy announced Sept. 25 the completion of the first phase of restoration at Huhuunga, a one-acre site overlooking Eaton Canyon in Altadena, California, that was returned to the Tongva people in March 2022.
Huhuunga, which means “Place of the Bears,” was historically a Tongva hunting camp. The land was donated by a private owner to the conservancy, marking the first time in more than 200 years that the Tongva regained stewardship of land in Los Angeles County, once part of the tribe's ancestral territory.
The transfer was part of the broader Land Back movement, which seeks to return Indigenous homelands to tribal care, the conservancy said in a news release.
The conservancy said the first phase of work included construction of a ceremonial circle, benches made from salvaged California trees, and traditional posts created by Tongva artist River Garza. The site was used for the first time during a Sept. 21 fall equinox gathering of community members.
“This land is a living relative, and every step we take here is part of our story of rematriation,” said Wallace Cleaves, conservancy board chair, in a statement. “To be here now — after fire, after recovery — and to see the circle, the benches, the posts ready for our community, is powerful. These are not just physical structures. They are spaces of healing and continuity, where our people can return, connect, and ensure a future for generations yet to come.”
The project follows the Eaton Fire in January 2025, which burned thousands of acres in the canyon and damaged parts of the conservancy's property. Oak groves and native plants were scarred, but recovery has been aided by community volunteers and the use of traditional ecological knowledge.
The conservancy said Huhuunga is intended as a space for Tongva people to gather, practice culture, and reconnect with ancestral lands. The Tongva's ancestral territory includes what is now Los Angeles County and the Southern Channel Islands.
