In Relation with Water and Flora

Join Bob Ramirez, president of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation and Daniel Ramirez, chair of the Land and Waters Committee for a walkthrough and kiiy building workshop at Kuruvungna Village Springs, a registered sacred site with the Native American Heritage Commission and designated California State Historic Landmark.

Starting in 2021, under Bob’s leadership, the foundation oversaw a restoration of Kuruvungna. With volunteers and in-kind contributions from community members and local businesses, dead and invasive plants were replaced with hundreds of local native species. In addition, ponds were cleaned and gardens established by a solar powered irrigation system utilizing the spring water.

For this walkthrough and workshop, Bob and Daniel will share stories of regeneration at the Springs and the embodied practices that are vital in relationships of reciprocity with water, plant and animal relatives. The workshop component will focus on hands-on kiiy construction techniques with plant relatives harvested at Kuruvungna.

Bob Ramirez (Gabrielino and Cahuilla descendant) is the president of the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, CEO of Ramirez Design Inc., and a Santa Monica Arts Commissioner. For the past 30 years, as an architect and designer, Ramirez has developed custom homes and gardens in the local Santa Monica community. He engaged in creating the Memorial Gardens at the Mission San Gabriel in honor of the original inhabitants of California. Passion for the art of building and love of adventure inspired Ramirez to explore the world as a young man, leading to a multi-year circumnavigation of the globe.

Daniel Ramirez (Gabrielino descendant) is the lead land steward and chair of the Land and Waters Committee at the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation. With a background in architecture and landscape design, Ramirez integrates an ethos of care grounded in native California ecology and his stewardship of Kuruvungna Village Springs.

This program is part of Endless Wellspring, a series of free public programs co-presented by Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND) and the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation at Kuruvungna Village Springs.

Meaning “a place where we are in the sun,” Kuruvungna is the site of a natural spring and an ancestral Tongva village in Tovaangar, present-day Los Angeles. Stewarded by the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, the two-acres of land features ponds, gardens, and a cultural center dedicated to the life and history of the Tongva people.

In recent years, the Springs has undergone immense ecological restoration through a collective community effort to care for and maintain the sacred site. Reflecting that work, Endless Wellspring is centered around the theme of regeneration, bringing together Native artists and educators to engage with the natural elements and ongoing life and history of Kuruvungna. From hands-on art making workshops to performances, and garden tours, we look forward to seeing you at the Springs this summer.

Endless Wellspring is organized by Mercedes Dorame, artist and Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation board member, and Christopher Mangum-James, LAND deputy director, with support from artist and scholar Lili Flores Aguilar.

This series is made possible in part by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan. Generous support provided by Art of Recovery, an initiative of the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs, and the West Los Angeles Sawtelle Neighborhood Council through a Neighborhood Purpose Grant. Special thanks to Walton Chiu.

Graphic by Jimena Gamio.