 The word "Tongva" was recorded by C. Hart Merriam in October, 1903 from a single informant, a Gabrieleño woman named Mrs. James Rosemyre (née Narcisa Higuera), who lived around Fort Tejon, near Bakersfield.Merriam could not pronounce the village name Toviscangna.He abbreviated or spelled it Tong-vā; by his orthography, it would be pronounced , .