Post by Moon Seeker on Aug 14, 2009 19:35:43 GMT -5
Native American children tour historic Poway site
By Pat Kumpan
August 11, 2009
Echoes of the past blended with voices of a new generation recently when Viejas Indian children explored a Poway hillside.
It’s not any hill, but one that has special meaning, once the home of their ancestors, the Kumeyaay Indians.
At the base of the hill sits the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center at 13104 Ipai Waaypuk Trail (formerly Silver Lake Drive).
The recent visitors, between ages 3 and 18, skipped, explored the crevices of old boulders, and ground nuts into round holes in the rocks, called morteros, just as previous generations did before them.
Viejas tribal leaders provided the cultural experience, giving the kids a hands-on connection to their past, said Christine Foster with the Viejas Educational Center.
The nonprofit Friends of the Kumeyaay has worked with the City of Poway and San Pasqual tribal elders, such as Dorothy Tavui, to preserve and improve the Poway site.
Last Thursday, Tavui told youngsters a story about a coyote, wildcat, a mountain lion and other critters, injecting Kumeyaay words throughout.
Keeping with the cultural mood of the day, it’s important to hear the words, to keep them alive, she said.
Adults were just as intrigued with what they saw during the recent visit, said Richard Bugbee, who teaches ethnobotany, the “ins and outs” of the botanical riches left behind by his ancestors.
A visitor had only to look at a Kumeyaay hut, known as an ewaa, made of willow branches and cattails to see a botanical connection — plants that existed hundreds of years ago and still thrive today.
Inside the hut, children sat and listened to Johnny “Bear” Contreras, a well-known sculptor, whose art work is on display outside Poway’s City Hall.
Contreras, who lives on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation, encouraged his listeners to express their culture through art.
“We’re part of the living culture,” Contreras said. “We need more Native American art.”
Through art, the artist is saying, “hear me,” he added.
He told of the Kumeyaay of yesterday — how they lived and searched for food from the hills to the sea.
After generations before them were asked not to speak their native language, a new generation has a chance to enhance the Kumeyaay culture, he said.
Jeremiah Silver Nagle, 17, enjoyed the artist’s perspective, especially regarding music, he said.
“It’s cool that other people get to learn about our culture (by visiting the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center),” he said. “and, for me to learn where my ancestors lived and thrived.”
Athena Barrett, 10, learned a lot of plants are edible.
“The Kumeyaay would eat almost any plant,” she said. “I tried some beans today, but they were bitter.”
But, she learned a few things not only by tasting, but by watching and listening.
For details about the center, which is open Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m., call 858-668-1292.
www.mylocalnews.com/nws/index.php?/main/content/native_american_children_tour_historic_poway_site/
By Pat Kumpan
August 11, 2009
Echoes of the past blended with voices of a new generation recently when Viejas Indian children explored a Poway hillside.
It’s not any hill, but one that has special meaning, once the home of their ancestors, the Kumeyaay Indians.
At the base of the hill sits the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center at 13104 Ipai Waaypuk Trail (formerly Silver Lake Drive).
The recent visitors, between ages 3 and 18, skipped, explored the crevices of old boulders, and ground nuts into round holes in the rocks, called morteros, just as previous generations did before them.
Viejas tribal leaders provided the cultural experience, giving the kids a hands-on connection to their past, said Christine Foster with the Viejas Educational Center.
The nonprofit Friends of the Kumeyaay has worked with the City of Poway and San Pasqual tribal elders, such as Dorothy Tavui, to preserve and improve the Poway site.
Last Thursday, Tavui told youngsters a story about a coyote, wildcat, a mountain lion and other critters, injecting Kumeyaay words throughout.
Keeping with the cultural mood of the day, it’s important to hear the words, to keep them alive, she said.
Adults were just as intrigued with what they saw during the recent visit, said Richard Bugbee, who teaches ethnobotany, the “ins and outs” of the botanical riches left behind by his ancestors.
A visitor had only to look at a Kumeyaay hut, known as an ewaa, made of willow branches and cattails to see a botanical connection — plants that existed hundreds of years ago and still thrive today.
Inside the hut, children sat and listened to Johnny “Bear” Contreras, a well-known sculptor, whose art work is on display outside Poway’s City Hall.
Contreras, who lives on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation, encouraged his listeners to express their culture through art.
“We’re part of the living culture,” Contreras said. “We need more Native American art.”
Through art, the artist is saying, “hear me,” he added.
He told of the Kumeyaay of yesterday — how they lived and searched for food from the hills to the sea.
After generations before them were asked not to speak their native language, a new generation has a chance to enhance the Kumeyaay culture, he said.
Jeremiah Silver Nagle, 17, enjoyed the artist’s perspective, especially regarding music, he said.
“It’s cool that other people get to learn about our culture (by visiting the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center),” he said. “and, for me to learn where my ancestors lived and thrived.”
Athena Barrett, 10, learned a lot of plants are edible.
“The Kumeyaay would eat almost any plant,” she said. “I tried some beans today, but they were bitter.”
But, she learned a few things not only by tasting, but by watching and listening.
For details about the center, which is open Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m., call 858-668-1292.
www.mylocalnews.com/nws/index.php?/main/content/native_american_children_tour_historic_poway_site/