Puvungna: The Story of a Lost California Indian Village

Feb. 19, 2009 - PRLog -- LONG BEACH, CA -- Daniel Ross Stiel was in Long Beach today unveiling his newly published novella, Puvungna.

Puvungna is a story about two young brothers who travel back in time and discover an ancient Indian village along the shores of a Southern California beach and the secret behind its disappearance over five hundred years ago.

Readers will meet the people, who called Puvungna their home, and experience how they lived before their land was conquered, their spirituality, and the events that changed a long-forgotten history which took place at the village.

Upon their return from the past, the boys must convince their parents and adults of their discovery, which ultimately changes their lives and their community.

Puvungna is inspired by the true story of a lost village that was once populated by the indigenous Tongva people. Today, the last remains of the village of Puvungna is located less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean on the campus of present day California State University, Long Beach, along the banks of a once flourishing creek.

"Written for young adults, Puvungna is an easy read," according to the author. The following is an excerpt from the book:

“Sitting atop the platform was a man whom I did not recognize. He was dressed in a large robe made of brightly colored feathers and fabrics of blue, red, yellow, and green. His face and arms were painted black and red.

I could see the glint of abalone shells fashioned around his chest and waist gleaming from the reflected light of the fires. His eyes were fixed towards the temple as he held in his hand a large baton topped with a golden medallion.

As the men reached the foot of the temple, they lowered the platform to the ground and bowed on their knees to the temple. Not a single word could be heard from the thousands of people who were gathered. The only sound came from the crackling wood of the giant fires.”

Puvungna is available at www.amazon.com and selected booksellers nationwide.

For more information, visit www.puvungna.com or contact the author at (479) 899-6294.

Technical details:

Title: Puvungna
Paperback: 114 pages
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (February 12, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439219044
ISBN-13: 978-1439219041

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Daniel Ross Stiel has been telling and dreaming tall tales for as long as he can remember.

He received his first writing award at age seven. His second award was received at age eleven while a fifth-grader attending Emerson Elementary in Long Beach for a story about a boy who won a sweepstakes drawing for a new color television at the school carnival. He followed that accomplishment by working extremely hard to earn an "F" grade in his ninth-grade English class at Stanford Junior High School in Long Beach, California.

His newly-published novella, Puvungna, was originally written as a short story for a class at Long Beach City College. Puvungna was inspired by the childhood memories and experiences of discovering ancient, mysterious Indian artifacts that he and his friends found in the overgrown fields near his southern California home in east Long Beach and Seal Beach.