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
Food
Kumeyaay were a
hunting and food
gathering society
Kumeyaay
harvested plants
Kumeyaay hunted
on land
Kumeyaay caught
sea life
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
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.
Harvesting: Acorns
This is what the
grinding tools used
to create acorn meal
looked like:
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Land
The Kumeyaay
inhabited what is
now San Diego
County and Baja
California
This land includes
coastal, desert, and
mountainous areas
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
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
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 nongaming tribes in Southern
California from the money
brought by the casinos