The village was placed on maps of the area as being north of the village of Wapijanga in the eastern outreaches of Tovaangar, or the homelands of the Tongva, meaning that it was located in San Bernardino County.[2][3] The name of the village likely reflects the origins of the name Jurupa, which has been described as the Tongva language word for the California Sagebrush: hurúuvar.[4]