Learn about the heritage of the local indigenous people

Members of the Tongva Tribe and Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden have worked together to design, construct and maintain a replica of a traditional Tongva family village unit at the Garden.

Acorn Festival - We’T Ke-Hi’-Esh in Tongva

November. Please check our calendar for this year's date.

Tongva dancers, singers, storytellers and tribal elders celebrate the Tongva autumn festival of the oak tree and acorn. The oak (Quercus agrifolia), We’T in Tongva, was an important and major food source. The harvested acorn, known as kwar in Tongva, were leached and ground into a mush called wehweht.

Tongva dancers and singers perform the traditional songs and dances of pre-European Tovangar (the land of the Tongva) and tribal leaders lead the rituals and ceremonies of the fall celebration. Activities, crafts and a native arts marketplace make the Acorn Festival a fun event for visitors of all ages.