It was a coastal gathering place for native tribes, a sacred land for ceremonies and rituals – and the place they called home.
Now, after years of disputes, the 6.2-acre Bolsa Chica Mesa is back under Indigenous stewardship, marking a historic moment as the first-ever land return to tribal communities in Orange County.
Tribal community leaders announced the return of Bolsa Chica Mesa last week, following the land transfer to the Acjachemen Tongva Land Conservancy, or ATLC, formed three years ago with the intention of taking the land back to use as a historical site for ceremonies and education.
The land above the Bolsa Chica wetlands was once slated for development until ancient artifacts were unearthed. The site is believed to have been the home some 9,500 years ago for the Acjachemen and Tongva tribes.
“We just want to preserve it,” said ATLC treasurer Tina Calderon. “Our intention is to educate people, to let them use it in a respectful way. First of all, we need to get all of the local tribes on the land and do a ceremony and pray for the land.”
The land transfer officially happened in July, but was announced last week. ATLC’s stewardship of the property stems from a 2016 negotiation between the California Coastal Commission, the city of Huntington Beach and Signal Landmark, the developer and landowner of the Windward Property next to the Bolsa Chica Mesa, for some parcels be donated to a qualifying nonprofit in order to permit development on the remaining 2.5 acres, according to Calderon. The Goodell Family Trust was also part of the property donation.
“If they weren’t able to build on it, they had to give it to somebody and that had to be a conservancy,” Calderon said. “We’re very grateful that they chose the people that descend from the land.”
The donation should also address problems with the property being used as ramps by bike riders.
“A known ancient village site will now be returned to the historic stewardship of the Tongva and Juaneno (Acjachemen) people and we are very excited about this opportunity,” said Lisa Haage, chief of enforcement for the California Coastal Commission.
Thousands of years ago, Acjachemen and Tongva villagers used the site to fish, hunt, live and tend to the nature around them, using plant life for food and medicine.
The Bolsa Chica Mesa is just above the 1,000-acre Bolsa Chica wetlands, which at one time covered more than 4,000 acres of wetlands at the mouths of the San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers.
It was Joyce Stanfield Perry, a cultural monitor on the site, who pushed for the land to be returned, creating the ATLC, a California indigenous-led community organization.
The return of land to native tribes is a movement spreading across the country, Calderon said; in Northern California three tribes have received land back.
“We want to bring it back to its health,” she said. “But the whole goal of it is just to keep it safe, and bring it back to the way it should be in perpetuity. And to educate folks who visit the land, so they can eventually help to be the stewards.”
Its restoration will take time and money, Calderon said. The first step will include fencing off the area while work is done to clear non-native plants and bring in indigenous plant life once used by the tribes.
While the land was officially handed over in July, the past few months have been spent reaching out to Indigenous communities to see what their priorities are for long-term restoration, access for tribal communities and cultural activities, she said.
It’s an important message and story timed around Thanksgiving, she said. “Everybody celebrates Thanksgiving, but not everybody knows the story. There was a lot of detriment to the tribes. Knowing the true story is important.
“But also if you’re here in California, it’s really important to learn what was happening here on these lands at that time,” she said, describing how many Indigenous tribes, when the Spanish came to the region, lost much of their culture because they were forbidden to speak their native language, eat traditional foods or engage in ceremonies or songs.
Once ceremonies can again be held on site, as well as public education tours, it will allow people to learn just how sacred the land is, Calderon said.
“Once they understand that there’s burials here and what a significant piece of property this is, I think they’ll come in with a bit more respect,” she said. “So I think it’s critical to educate the masses, and especially the people who live around here.”
