The Kumeyaay Indians

Who were the Kumeyaay Indians? What did the Kumeyaay eat? What kind of shelter did the Kumeyaay live in? What kind of activities did the Kumeyaay participate in? What was the Kumeyaay’s religion? What land did the Kumeyaay inhabit? What were Kumeyaay ceremonial occasions like? Where are the Kumeyaay today? What is the Kumeyaay’s future?

Kumeyaay—The First Americans Food Shelter Activities This is a sketch of Kumeyaay children playing

Food Kumeyaay were a hunting and food gathering society Kumeyaay harvested plants Kumeyaay hunted on land Kumeyaay caught sea life This is a picture of mazanita berries, a berry eaten by the Kumeyaay.

Food—Harvesting Acorns and pinon nuts were collected in the fall from the Laguna mountains and the mountains of Baja California. Flowers, fruits, grain, seeds, stems, bulbs and roots were gathered in the spring and summer from the valleys, canyons and foot hills. Kumeyaay also ate the agave plant, prickly pear, manzanita berries, elderberries, and pine nuts This is a picture of the Agave plant.

Harvesting: Acorns Acorn meal was a basic food for the Kumeyaay. Acorns were gathered and crushed into powder with a mortar and pestle. The powder was then washed over with water in a leeching basket to remove the bitterness. It was then cooked into a cake and eaten. This is a picture of the Kumeyaay women making acorn meal.

Harvesting: Acorns This is what the grinding tools used to create acorn meal looked like: These are a closer look at the tools the women were using

Harvesting:Agave Plant Also very important in the Kumeyaay diet was the agave plant The agave plant was dug up and the root cooked It tastes like a sweet potato and was very popular Agave Shovel This wooden digging shovel was used to extract the center of the agave plant. It was baked in stone-lined pits. Baked agave tastes like sweet potato.

Food—Hunting Kumeyaay hunted rabbit, small rodents, birds They also hunted large animals such as mountain sheep, antelope, and deer The Kumeyaay hunting was done year round

Hunting: Tools The Kumeyaay used bows and arrows to hunt deer, antelope, and big horned sheep When hunting the big game the Kumeyaay attached the arrows made of obsidian For smaller game, such as rabbit, only a sharpened point of the arrow shaft was needed Projectile Points From the smaller "bird points" to the larger "spear points", each of these artifacts was made with the precision of a skilled craftsman.

Food—Sea Life The Kumeyaay collected oysters, lobster, and abalone The pieces of shell were used for making hooks to catch fresh and salt water fish After the fish and mollusks were caught they could be eaten then or dried The top picture shows what the inside of an oyster looks like. The picture below is a picture of an abalone shell.

Shelter Kumeyaay built their homes from the willow trees that grew so abundantly in the area The dwellings were circular domed structures woven from willow branches that still had the leaves attached Many of these homes scattered along the streams and valleys would be a part of the village This is a typical Kumeyaay village scene. You can see the circular domed structures in the background.

Shelter: Dome Shaped Home The dome shaped home had a small door opening A large basket or woven mat would be pulled over it at night to keep the cold air out Sometimes a small fire was built within the structure for warmth Often a rabbit blanket was also used as a soft warm covering and grasses were used to soften the floor Cooking was done outside in fire pits

Activities Kumeyaay activities included: Music and Dance Basketry Pottery Games and Recreation

Activities: Music and Dance Music and Dance were a part of Kumeyaay ceremonies The songs were a way to tell stories about their history and creation To create music the Kumeyaay used the rattle and the flute Some songs were short with only a few repeated verses while others could last two days or more were extremely complex. Prayer songs were to provide for good hunts, seasons, and health of the people. Many of the songs were fun and entertainment. The songs and dances are still practiced today. Rattles were made from gourds, called halmaa, with wooden handles and small rocks inside to produce the sound. Holes were added for decoration or resonance This is a picture of some natural California growing reeds Flutes were made from reeds with holes drilled in them to produce the sounds. This picture is a flute made from bamboo.

Activities: Basketry Kumeyaay created coiled baskets Kumeyaay baskets were tightly knit in all different shapes and sizes The baskets could be used to carry water or intricately designed and given as a gift

Activities: Basketry The materials used to make the baskets included: Bunch grass, deer grass, juncus and three leaf sumac Many baskets were detailed and colored from beige to black Often juncus was dyed black by burying or soaking coiled juncus with crushed acorn caps. The tannin from the acorn reacted with the iron in the water and would dye it black. Some of the popular patterns were geometric designs and nature motifs as stars, flowers, butterflies, deer and rattlesnake http://kumeyaay.sandi.net/Kumeyaay.Indian.Infor/Kumeyaay.Ind.frame.html Kumeyaay Basket This basket is made from juncus (a reed) and pine needles and over a deergrass bundle. It was made by Delia Osuna of Santa Ysabel around 1945. The bone tool is an awl. It was used to help fasten the coils together. http://www.kumeyaay.com/history/museum1.html

Activities: Pottery Kumeyaay used pottery to store food, water, and cremated remains Kumeyaay also used pottery to cook in The pottery was made from clay collected from river banks and cliffs Water jar This Kumeyaay water jar is also called an olla (oi-ya). Pottery jars such as this are still made by artisans in Baja, California, today. In the local 'Iipay language, it is an 'aaskay. http://www.kumeyaay.com/history/museum1.html

Activities: Games and Recreation The Kumeyaay took pride when playing games showing endurance Kumeyaay also enjoyed playing games of chance Kumeyaay still play a game today called Peone Shinny Stick and Ball This ball and stick are from the game of shinny. The game resembles field hockey. Shinny was a game played by Indians all over the country. Game Pieces The two balls were used in Kumeyaay games. The shinny ball (left) is made of honeysuckle root. The center ball is stone. The cogstone may also be a game piece. It is a mystery. Peone Game Pieces These game pieces were made from bone, to be hidden in the gambling game of Peone! http://www.kumeyaay.com/history/museum1.html

Kumeyaay—The First Americans Religion Land Ceremonial Occasions

Religion The religious year was observed by solstice and equinox ceremonies, all managed by the kuseyaay or shaman The kuseyaay were the healers of the village The kuseyaay were also astronomers Personal ceremonies such as marriage and death were performed by the kuseyaay only after certain star movements The kuseyaay were born to their calling. Boys were watched to see if they had the innate qualities and interest for this duty. When a candidate was found, he was taught his duties, the knowledge of herbs, prayers, songs, ceremony organization, etc., by a kuseyaay. http://kumeyaay.sdcs.k12.ca.us/Kumeyaay.Indian.Infor/Kumeyaay.Indians.html

Land The Kumeyaay inhabited what is now San Diego County and Baja California This land includes coastal, desert, and mountainous areas Theories of Origin Whether the Kumeyaay traveled across the Bering Straight, or originated in North America, our beginning is this land. Proclaimed "Paleo Indian", "Milling Stone", "La Jollan", or any other name, the people who evolved the material artifacts in southern California and northern Baja are Kumeyaay. The Archaeological record is consistently being pushed back, our roots are lost in the mist, waiting to be discovered. http://www.kumeyaay.com/history/timeline/precontact/

Ceremonial Occasions Ceremonies took place to provide for good hunts, seasons, and health of the people. Personal ceremonies also took place for naming, puberty rites, marriage and death Kumeyaay social life included, and revolved around cultural and religious ceremonies that brought families together from all over the area. Kumeyaay Pre-Contact Pipe The bowl of this redware pipe was decorated by a Kumeyaay artisan, using natural tar (commonly found on San Diego beaches) and shell beads arranged in an intricate pattern. A pipe like this one is used by the important people in the tribe for ceremonies.

Ceremonial Occasions—Death When a Kumeyaay died the body was cremated The body was stored in a pottery jar and buried at a special death ceremony It was a Kumeyaay tradition to cut your hair when someone died

Kumeyaay—The First Americans                                    Today San Diego Future This photo was taken from a Kumeyaay event posted on the web: Finally, the Peace and Dignity project invites all Kumeyaay elders and culture bearers to the Tecate Mountain location (U.S. of A. side!) the third weekend of the month. This is a Kumeyaay invited event. http://www.americanindiansource.com/tecate.html

Today After the Civil war, about 1865, Americans started to flood California, looking for new land and new opportunities The new settlers forced the Kumeyaay into reservations The Kumeyaay people now live in many different reservations

San Diego Today in San Diego, the Kumeyaay are well known for their casinos The Kumeyaay and many other native people are using the profit from casinos to benefit their communities as a whole.

Future The Kumeyaay are working to shape policy, create better homes and health services, and provide for themselves and their community By remembering the past, the Kumeyaay move into the future, by educating young Kumeyaay on where they come from The Kumeyaay are able to continue helping many non-gaming tribes in Southern California from the money brought by the casinos http://www.kumeyaay.com/history/timeline/kumeyaay/politics.html