San Diego Native American Museum

Science Is For Everyone

Cost should not be a barrier to enjoying the Museum. Thats why The Nat offers many free admission programs, including Museums for All, Resident Free Days, December Nights, the summer reading program through San Diego Public Library, and more. Last year we welcomed more than 50,000 people into the Museum at no costthats 30% of our visitors who accessed the Museum for free.

There are also many opportunities to receive discounted admission, including San Diego Museum Month, Kids Free San Diego,Nat at Night, the Balboa Park Explorer, the Go City San Diego card, and group visits. Think youll be a regular visitor? We hope youll consider becoming a member. Not only does membership pay for itself after one visit, but its also a way to support our mission to preserve this amazing region we call home.

Barona Cultural Center & Museum

The 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service is the nations highest honor given to libraries and museums that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Over the past 25 years, the award has celebrated institutions that are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities.

The 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service is the nations highest honor given to libraries and museums that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Over the past 25 years, the award has celebrated institutions that are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities.

Rincon Band Of Luiseo Indians Museum

Miiyuyam from the Cultural Resources!

While the Wa$xayam Pomki Museum remains closed throughout the pandemic, museum staff is working on providing educational materials and online resources that will be made available on the Rincon website. The Museum hopes to ensure that everyone can continue to learn about Luiseño language and culture throughout this Covid-19 crisis.

Rincons Tribal Historic Preservation Office is still fully functioning, responding to project notifications and consulting with federal, state, and local agencies on development projects. For years now, San Diego County has experienced a population increase and infrastructure and housing developments can be found everywhere. All these lands that are being developed, hold the history and culture of the Luiseño people, places that Luiseños lived on, gathered medicine, and prepared food. What they left behind are bedrock milling features, rock art, arrowheads, and other things. Through consultation, Rincons Tribal Historic Preservation Office is seeking to limit the damage to cultural resources by requesting avoidance of areas, or relocation of artifacts to prevent damage. To further protect tribal resources on these construction sites, Rincon has Tribal Monitors observe construction work, looking for artifacts, recovering, and relocating findings out of harms way. Tribal Monitors are the Tribes last line of defense, and they continue their exceptional work throughout this crisis.

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What Is A Land Acknowledgement

A Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects the indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of the land on which the Museum resides and works. A Land Acknowledgement recognizes the enduring relationship that exists between indigenous peoples and their traditional lands. This is an act of conciliation that makes a statement recognizing the traditional land of the indigenous people who have called and still call the land home before and after the arrival of settlers. These statements do not exist in past tense or outside historical context. Colonialism is an ongoing process and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. Land Acknowledgements are commonplace and even policy in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and among Tribal Nations in the U.S.

Why Are Land Acknowledgements Important

A Land Acknowledgement recognizes the displacement of Indigenous peoples and the devastating effect that forced relocation has had on these communities. They are a way to express gratitude, respect and appreciation to Indigenous peoples and are a simple, powerful step towards correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous peoples history and culture. Additionally, a Land Acknowledgement encourages individuals to think about what it means to occupy space on Indigenous lands and is an educational opportunity for those individuals who may have never heard the names of the tribes that have and continue to live on the land they are standing on.

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Kwahup To San Diego’s Indian Country

Discover an abundance of Native culture in one of California’s loveliest regions

12/31/2003 – SAN DIEGO CAMillions of visitors flock to San Diego each year to enjoy sun, surf and the city’s famous zoo and wild animal park. But those who venture a little farther afield will discover an abundance of Native culture in one of California’s loveliest regions. In fact, San Diego County boasts the largest number of reservations in a single U.S. county-18.

The major cultural groups in the region are the Kumeyaay and the Cupeño peoples, as well as the Luiseño and Cahuilla. From fabulous casinos and resorts to tiny cultural centers, plus an annual schedule of powwows and festivals, visitors will find plenty of Native happenings to keep their itineraries filled.

The largest tribe in San Diego is the mighty Kumeyaay Nation. With 18 communities spanning California and Mexico, 12 in San Diego County alone, the Kumeyaay tribes offer visitors a rich cultural heritage spanning thousands of years.

KwaHup-or come in-to Kumeyaay country with a trip to the Barona Museum . Located on the Barona reservation near Lakeside, the museum houses a large collection of Kumeyaay artifacts, some dating as far back as 8,000 B.C. “These elegant artifacts show the artistry and skill of Barona’s ancient Native American ancestors,” notes tribal member Beaver Curo. Interactive displays, listening alcoves and dioramas provide a window into traditional Kumeyaay life, song and custom.

San Diego Natural History Museum Land Acknowledgement

The San Diego Natural History Museum recognizes and respects the indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of the land. Specifically, we recognize the Kumeyaay people whose ancestral homelands the Museum currently occupies. We extend our respect and gratitude to the indigenous people who have lived on and cared for this land since time immemorial. As the original caretakers and conservationists, we honor their continued legacy of understanding, caretaking, and upholding the pillars of biodiversity.

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Ab 167 Model Curriculum Projects

Assembly Bill 167, Chapter 252, Statutes of 2021 amended California Education Code sections 33540.2, 33540.4, 33540.6 and 51226.9, for the development and maintenance of model curricula relating to the Vietnamese American refugee experience, the Cambodian genocide, Hmong history and cultural studies, and Native American studies. The California Department of Education shall, in collaboration with, and subject to the approval of, the executive director of the state board, enter into contracts with county offices of education for the purposes of developing a model curriculum. Work on these projects will begin in 2022 and conclude by September of 2025.

Please continue to return to this page as information will be posted as the project progresses. Feel free to reach out to , SDCOE MEGA executive leadership coach, with questions about the NASMC project.

SoCal NASMC Community Engagement Listening Circles

SDCOE will host several, virtual and in-person NASMC Community Engagement Listening Circles in Southern California. Perspectives and voices of California tribal community members, Native American youth, educators, and cultural bearers will lead the development of NASMC. During NASMC Listening Circles, participants will:

• learn about possible goals, vision, and outcomes of the NAS Model Curriculum
• discuss their hopes for the NAS Model Curriculum and
• provide guidance on the NAS Model Curriculum Essential Understandings and curriculum topics.

Virtual NASMC Listening Circles

Residing On Indigenous Land

The Museum of Us is located in Balboa Park on the unceded territory and ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation, the Indigenous Peoples of this land. Kumeyaay people have lived on this land for millennia, and their ancestral relationship with the land continues to this day.

Before the construction of Balboa Park, the surrounding land was not barren or deserted. The development associated with the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 dispossessed and displaced Indigenous communities living in the area to build Balboa Park.

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History Of Cultural Resources & Exhibits

When the Panama-California Exposition opened in 1915, the Museum, then called the San Diego Museum, functioned as an anthropology museum defined by its wide-ranging ethnographic collections now referred to as “cultural resources” and their encyclopedic display.

Note: We have discontinued the use of the term collections to describe the items the Museum stewards and the associated department. The term cultural resources recognizes the cultural communities from which items originated rather than the individuals who acquired, or collected, the items. The term also acknowledges the significance around how these items are a resource with deep connections to a communitys ancestry, heritage, and cultural preservation.

The Museums inaugural exhibit in 1915, The Story of Man Through the Ages, amplified the dominant Western narrative of the time that race was biological and that societies had a hierarchical fitness for survival based on race.

Other foundational exhibits of the Museum presented Indigenous communities and cultures as civilizations frozen-in-time and peoples of the past. This one-sided narrative elevated Euro-American academic perspectives above the voices of Indigenous communities relative to their past, present, and future. These narratives perpetuated racism against People of Color and the erasure of Indigenous peoples, contributing to systemic inequities that persist today.

Joely Proudfit Director Of The California Indian Culture And Sovereignty Center And Chair Of American Indian Studies At California State University San Marcos Talks About The Need To Return Native American Artifacts To Tribal Communities

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Earlier this month, a Massachusetts museum finally returned some 150 Native American artifacts to Lakota Sioux peoples. The museum was in possession of these items for more than a century and repatriation efforts had been in the works for decades, highlighting the long and drawn-out process of returning these artifacts to their rightful homes in tribal communities.

The 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act which requires the return of Native American cultural items found on federal or tribal lands or from museums receiving federal funding is a significant help in this process, but the law could use greater enforcement, says Joely Proudfit, director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center and chair of American Indian Studies, both at California State University San Marcos.

NAGPRA has been in effect for 30 years, and its an important law in that it provides a pathway of human remains and funerary objects to be returned to tribes and tribal communities, she says. Overall, the intent of the law is a positive thing, and we support any effort to return Native American materials, items, funerary objects back to tribes and tribal communities.

Q: Youve mentioned that NAGPRA has been unclear and has led to the use of loopholes to avoid returning items to Indigenous communities. What are some of these loopholes?

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Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

State Parks is proud to partner with California Native American Tribal Nations throughout the state. As part of the departments Reexamining Our Past Initiative, State Parks is actively consulting and working with Tribal Nations to accurately reflect our past throughout the State Park System.

Sign Carver Alme Allen, a local artist of Karuk and Yurok descent who was hired to redesign the signs, puts the finishing touches on the new Sue-meg State Park sign June 2022

To highlight some projects, in 2021, the name of Sue-meg State Park was restored. The department continues to work with Tribal Nations and the public to identify and rename features in the State Parks System to honor California Native Americans connection to the lands and features.

State Parks works with California Tribal Nations to establish Memoranda of Understanding to establish protocols for successful cooperation and partnership. In the past year, State Parks has signed MOUs with the Yurok Tribe and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.

Dancers during the performance of the grand opening of lipay~Tipai Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok in 2021 at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Evolving Our Mission & Name

At its founding, the Museum was the epitome of an early 20th century institution of its kind a place defined by our collections, of cultural resources and their traditional western European academic display. In January 2012, the Board of Directors adopted a three-year strategic plan that identified our current mission: Inspiring human connections by exploring the human experience.

The Museum has since undergone a radical transformation in policy, structure, and programming to break patterns of colonialism and build trust with our home Native American community, the Kumeyaay Nation. This shift prioritizes Indigenous and community voice, and redefines how museums steward cultural materials.

After operating as the San Diego Museum of Man for decades, we reintroduced ourselves to our community as the Museum of Us in August 2020. The change represents us holding ourselves accountable to our colonial past and present, so that we can continue to do better for our community and future generations. Our organizational practices, policies, and culture will continue to change to reflect the requests and needs of our internal and external communities. These shifts result from the guidance of our partners: elders, artists, community members, ambassadors, and scholars within Black, Indigenous, and communities of color.

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Kumeyaay Nation: Stories Of Change

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We, the Imperial Valley Desert Museum, recognize our place on the traditional lands of the Kumeyaay who have been here, as they say, ‘since the beginning’, with a vibrant and rich history dating back over 10,000 years. The lands of Imperial and San Diego County include the traditional lands of many Indigenous groups composed of Quechan, Cahuilla, CoCoPah, Pai Pai, and Kumeyaay.

Each of these groups are still present and active today.

The Kumeyaay and their ancestors have lived, worked, and played in the diverse landscape of Imperial County for over 9,000 years.

The Kumeyaay Nation has a long tradition of change. Traditionally the Kumeyaay have inhabited the most diverse landscape of any culture in the Americas. Their traditional territory ranges from the beaches of San Diego over the lush Laguna Mountains, across the arid Colorado Desert, to the shores of Lake Cahuilla and down into Baja California, Mexico.

Traditional Kumeyaay territory stretches from San Diego’s coast to the desert. Frank Salazar, a member of the Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians said Kumeyaay territory had the most diverse geography of any other tribe in the United States.

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“I visited this museum on free museum day and ended up signing up to volunteer. For such a small museum they have a lot to offer in the education department and are the only nonprofit repository for San Diego artifacts therefore have a very large collection behind the scenes. It’s a great educational low cost for the whole family.”

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State Parks And Museums Interpreting California Indian Culture And Heritage

California State Parks manages the largest and most diverse natural and cultural heritage holdings of any state agency in the nation. Our 280 parks protect and preserve an unparalleled collection of culturally and environmentally sensitive features and ancient habitats, including many significant California Indian villages. Outstanding examples of rock art, sacred sites and cultural preserves are part of Californias most vital heritage. Before the arrival of Europeans settlers in the mid-1700s, there were more than 300,000 indigenous people residing throughout California. These parks and museums serve as centers for learning the history, practices and beliefs of Californias Indian people. Each year, tens of thousands of California school children gain an appreciation of the richness and significance of California Indian heritage by visiting one or more of the states parks or museums. Today, visitors are able to see and enjoy cultural representations of these early societies, from rock paintings to ancient village sites, from reconstructed dwellings to museum exhibits. By attending programs and special events, the public can also learn about contemporary California Indian culture. California State Parks maintains a commitment to contemporary California Indian culture by partnering with tribes throughout the state and Indian organizations to support their cultural activities.

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Each year, we celebrate the rich and resilient cultures of Indigenous people for Native American Heritage Month during the month of November. The County of San Diego occupies the lands of the Kumeyaay/Diegueno, Luiseño, Cahuilla, and Cupeño people. Our County features the largest number of tribes and reservations: 18 federally recognized Tribal Nation Reservations, 17 Tribal Governments, and two Tribal Governments without federally recognized lands . San Diego Public Library strives to recognize Indigenous people through programs, library collections, and displays.

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Chapter Three: Native Americans Come To Balboa Park

Colonel David Charles Collier, the mastermind of San Diegos 1915 Panama-California Exposition, thought up the idea of an ethnology exhibit for the Exposition that would present the indigenous background of the Americas. After discussing the matter with businesspeople and scholars, he decided to concentrate on the archaeological and cultural resources of the Southwest. He chose the Southwest for interpretation, rather than San Diego County or California, for by so doing, people with means in the Southwestern states could be persuaded to send exhibits. Attempts were made to convince these people that San Diego would become the first port-of-call for ships coming through the soon-to-be- completed Panama Canal, therefore the port to which they could send goods for shipment to national and international destinations.

As it turned out, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Kansas were receptive to Colliers assurances. Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas declined. After all, San Francisco was holding a government-sanctioned exposition at the same time. It was reasonable for Southwestern states to recognize the dynamic and colorful northern city, which then had a population ten times that of San Diego. New Mexico, the exception, chose to exhibit only at San Diego. Having a railway system that began in Chicago and ended in both San Francisco and San Diego, the Santa Fe Railway sent exhibits to both fairs.

Hewetts description was a degree less extravagant: