As California State University Long Beach was expected to begin work on a soil treatment plan at the Native American sacred site of Puvuna on Wednesday, several people gathered on campus to protest the move.
The soil treatment plan follows a dispute that began in 2019 between the university and local tribes. CSULB dumped dirt from a construction project near Pvunna that is used for ceremonies and spiritual gatherings.
The entire university campus is built in Puvuna, which has served as a ceremonial center for thousands of years and is recognized as a sacred site by the Tongva, Achachemen, and other Southern California tribes. The remaining 22 acres of undeveloped land were protected from “arbitrary demolition” in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
CSULB’s decision to dump dirt on the site in 2019 sparked a legal battle, and in 2021, an agreement was reached between the university and petitioners, the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation-Belardes, and the California Cultural Resources Preservation Alliance, Inc. reached. A settlement that prohibits the university from constructing buildings on the site and dumping other construction materials and debris. The agreement also stated that the land would transition to a conservation easement within his two years.
Since then, local tribal leaders and advocates have gone to great lengths to raise money to remove the soil, Rebecca Robles, an elder and culture bearer of Ajaquemen, told the Post in a previous interview. Told.
Previous tests of the soil showed potentially dangerous levels of arsenic, and Robles said a treatment plan expected to involve “feathering” the soil would help the tribe’s ultimate goal: dirt. I think it will be more difficult to remove .
CSULB’s restoration plan was negotiated with the State Historic Preservation Service, but there was no supplemental environmental impact report, according to an online petition asking the university to delay its treatment plan by a year.
Robles said that despite having bi-weekly meetings with university officials regarding Puvna, local tribesmen were not informed of future plans until after receiving an email on April 6.
A spokesperson for the university, Jeff Cook, said in an April 14 email that the “implementation of the long-term plan of treatment” is in accordance with a settlement agreement reached in September 2021 and a waiver filed with the university. It said it was commemorated in a notice. Conducted under the supervision of Native American monitors and archaeologists.
The plan was shared with all eight tribes on the CSULB consultation list in 2021, and feedback was incorporated into the plan when possible, according to the university’s website. Several tribes that chose to do so have agreed to allow the university to proceed with this work,” the website reads. “Tribal representatives have been provided with detailed information about the work that will proceed in April 2023.”
For Anna Christensen, who co-chairs the Sierra Club’s Los Cerritos Wetlands Task Force (she said the wetlands are part of Puvuna), the issues at hand are those of human rights and sovereignty.
“Consultation is not consent,” said Christensen.
The timing itself isn’t ideal either, given that it’s spring and terrestrial plants and animals are thriving, Christensen said.
“There are residents here. They may not be human, but they live here,” Christensen said. “This treatment plan is not needed at this time. This is an attack on nature.”
Puvuna serves as a sacred site and burial ground for Native Americans and is part of the history of both the United States and California, said Mary Luffever, a former high school teacher who participated in Wednesday’s protest.
“We will preserve these sites so future generations can learn about them,” she said.
LeFever said the university has already started mowing the grass, and authorities will also install a ground sprinkler system before the feathering process.
When Perla Dionisio came to Pvunna to pray on Monday, she said that seeing the work that had begun felt like “pouring salt into the wound.”
“It was heartbreaking to see it all cut down. You stand in the middle of Pvunna…at the actual ceremony site, watching the birds and butterflies and all these flowers, and the rest of it. She said she was told the same day that the university was “setting up a staging area” to begin work.
Dionisio was first introduced to Puvunga in the fall of 2020 by Michelle Castillo, vice president of Friends of Puvungna, a nonprofit dedicated to land conservation and restoration. Since then, Dionisio has visited Pvunna for ceremonies and prayers.
“Through my own personal healing process, I realized the importance of connecting with the land,” said Dionisio. “I feel that deep connection because this is where we took on human form.”
Through his experiences in Puvna and his connection to his own history, Dionisio became aware of the patterns of colonialism and capitalism taking place in sacred places.
“Today’s battle is the battle our ancestors have fought for over 500 years,” said Dionisio. “It was important for me to come here and show solidarity with the people of Achakemen and the people of Tongva.”
“In a perfect world, and a world not driven by capitalism or colonialism, I think you would expect, or could expect, universities to do the right thing and keep the land intact. Let me lead,” said Dionisio. “But we expected that not to happen. So my ultimate hope here is to provide support and provide safety.”
As a former CSULB student, Alyssa Bishop said it was important to advocate protection for Puvungna.
“This plan of treatment is, in the kindest of terms, disrespectful,” said Bishop. “You can’t just put some flowers on toxic dirt and wipe your hands clean like nothing went wrong. It’s just a band-aid.”
“I have no faith in the universities. I don’t think they do the right thing,” Bishop added. “I believe it has to be the power of the people to make the right thing happen.”
Caroline Kaufmann, who has been coming to Pvunna for the past 12 years to pray since today, hopes more people will understand both the need to protect the land and the movement for greater transparency from the university. increase. she said.
“The health of the people is based on the health of the land and vice versa…and the defense of the land is self-defense,” Kaufman said. “I am here for my family, and for generations to come, and for my ancestors who resisted colonization and the destruction of the land above us.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to clarify the historical status of the site.