I found a curious thing on Google maps recently. For the last few weeks, they’ve been labeling, quite substantially, a part of Newhall as “Takuyumam.”
Obviously, it’s something related to Native Americans. But unlike other parts of town with Native American names (Cashtuk, Chungyabit, etc), I’ve never heard the word “Takuyumam.”
Well it turns out all the Google links and map references to this place are based on something from the US Geologic Survey:
As you can see, the USGS page says Takuyumam was a Chumash Indian settlement.
Hold your horses USGS! Chumash? Really?
The Chumash are a people who inhabited mostly coastal southern and central California. Our Natives weren’t Chumash, in fact, little is known about them, we only know what others called them, the Tataviam (People of the Sun) or aliklik, which was a name derisively given to our natives by the Chumash because of the sound of their language.
So I checked out the 100 year old referenced book on Google Books and searched it for Takuyumam. No results. Then I searched for Newhall and found one reference to a place called “Kashiwe”, a “former Chumashan village near Newhall, Ventura County, California at a place now called Cuesta Santa Susana.”
Interesting, but a dead-end.
I searched SCVHistory.com and there are no results for Takuyumam either. So I hopped onto JStor and a few other academic indexing services, and none of them reference a place called Takuyumam.
So what’s the deal? Why is Google putting a big fat place marker on Newhall that relates to the Chumash when just about everything we know about the SCV indicates the Tataviam people lived here?
I think it’s probably a mistake. But it’s one mistake I’m going to have fun hunting down. Because I’m nerdy like that.
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Just as they got rid of other odd labels, like Hornby. I notice we now have an Oberg, CA on the Westside. Maybe google maps is hip to Antonovich’s plans or something.
According to the SCV history we teach our 3rd graders
The Chumash and Tataviam got together to trade and other reasons like parties and church here in the SCV. They got along even though they didn’t speak the same language.
Brought to you by your local SCV 3rd grader LOL.
Brought to you from the mom of a 3rd grader: Maybe Takuyumam is the place in the SCV they would meet?
Church?
Really? More cultural contamination IMO.
Well, we’re talking about a 9YO
Though she has a phenomenal memory, it may have said rituals or services or something along those lines and she assumed that meant church 
(which she’s never been to, so aside from what church looks like in books and TV, she has no clue what you might want to do there LOL).
FYI, I looked it up and the SCV History book says that the Chumash, Gabrielinos and Tataviam would ‘get together at the Castaic Junction, or what the Tataviam called Chaguayabit, for religious celecbrations, weddings, and to trade or settle business matters.’ There is also a little story about a Tataviam boy who lives ‘near the Santa Clara River’ and is preparing ‘black mud’ to be sold to the Chumash.
Takuyumam is the native american word for “Awesometown”. This part of town must have been the happening place before Valencia came along.
Jim Farley is correct.
Case closed.
It is still a happening place. I work in Takuyumam.
Trust me, before Valencia came along, there were fields of pumpkins, onions and carrots where Valencia is today. I went to Placerita and Hart and that’s what was there. It was NOT a happening place by any definition, but Newhall was a good place to grow up. Everyone pretty much knew everyone else.
Yeah, I love when those random names show up.
Found the name “Sepulveda” appear on a Google map not so long ago. That might make sense somewhere near the 405… but it was in Glendale?!?!??!
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=34.161392,-118.282285&spn=0.02049,0.038581&z=15
The Census, and their weird “Census designated places” are a thing of mystery….
Anyway, it doesn’t surprise me that Chumash made it into SCV… They inhabited the coast from Malibu up to Santa Maria, mostly in the Santa Barbara and Ventura… but I know they were prevalent in the Conejo and Simi Valleys… My wife is from Agoura, and their biggest park is named Chumash Park.
But I do remember that there were some Chumash who were taken in from SCV by the San Fernando Mission…
I’m pretty sure I found your answer
The Chumash lived here until the ‘aggresive’ Tataviam came and kicked them to the curb (or coast as it may be 
).
http://www.scvleon.com/newhall/tataviam.htm
Another interesting thing about the Chumash is their creation myth has people originating on the Channel Islands and the Earth Goddess making a temporary rainbow bridge so they could get to the mainland. The Earth Goddess then turned the people who did not make it across the bridge into dolphins, since the Chumash recognized the dolphins as sentient creatures. This is the genesis of CSU-Channel Islands mascot as the Dolphin.
Here’s some more
“During the summer of 1983 an extensive Indian village was investigated by the Northridge Archaeological Institute at Oak Flat Campground in the Angeles National Forest. Under the shade of great trees, these early Americans — called the Castaic Chumash — made their homes about 3000 BC. Some were buried under a pile of rocks with a metate (grinding bowl) over their faces. Others were cremated, their ashes lovingly placed in large stone bowls. ”
http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/signal/reynolds/part03.html
My daughters history book credits a SUSD teacher for the materials and Jerry Reynolds for the history/information, so I googled him. He’s the author of the info above. If you’re in the mood to be super nerdy LOL, he seems to have a series of SCV history here http://www.scvtv.com/html/reynoldshistory1of4.html .
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