Amy Elkins
Kuruvungna / Santa Monica, Kuruvungna Village Sacred Springs
(Spring Water, Eucalyptus Leaves, Duckweed)
From the series "A Place Where We Are In The Sun"
2022-ongoing

*These same springs were used as a source of freshwater by the Tongva since at least the 5th century B.C., producing up to 25,000 gallons daily.

A Place Where We Are In The Sun

(select images from a work-in-progress)

2022-ongoing

amyelkins.com

"A Place Where We Are In The Sun" uses family archives, historical documents and early Alta California maps to trace the land loss, assimilation and resilience of Indigenous, Mexican and multiracial ancestors in Southern California from the perspective of an 8th generation Angeleno. Taken by trekking into land between what is now known as Lompoc and the Greater Los Angeles area, these physically manipulated and rephotographed archives work to unearth historical conditions permeating the soil my ancestors lived on: the enclosure of land under European notions of private property and the resulting displacement of indigenous/BIPOC communities from such spaces.

Titles include original indigenous names for Chumash and Tongva land / villages, present day locations and plant identification (both native and introduced species) to the best of my knowledge.