Cultural Institution Profile: Kuruvungna Springs and the Gabrielino | Tongva Springs Foundation: The Tongva peoples historic and continued presence in Tovaangar (the Los Angeles area) highlights access to land as a crucial part of sovereignty. This paper examines Kuruvungna Springs, a sacred site for the Tongva, and the Gabrielino | Tongva Springs Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the maintenance and protection of the site, through the lens of Indigenous perspectives on cultural preservation. These paradigms go beyond Western methods to include traditional practices and the land itself as forms of knowledge.

Mariella Seltzer is in her last year of San Jose State University’s MLIS program. Following the completion of her undergraduate degrees in Visual Communications and Business Management at an art school in Southern California, she worked at a museum store creating visual displays. This environment, combined with a life-long love of libraries, inspired her to pursue a graduate degree.

Mariella still works at the same institution, now in their Reader Services department. After graduation she hopes to continue working in academic or special collections libraries, although she also has an interest in children’s librarianship. In her free time, Mariella enjoys rock-climbing, hiking, and cross-stitch.