Celebrating traditions
For over 10,000 years the Imperial Valley, eastern San Diego County, and Baja California have been home to many indigenous peoples and tribes. Among them are names you are likely familiar with – the Kumeyaay, Quechan, Cocopah, Pai Pai and Cahuilla.
Across the vast deserts of Imperial Valley, evidence of those peoples’ rich and diverse histories is all around, to be learned and celebrated. And the people themselves, with their distinct identities and cultures, are still here, too. In spite of perceptions of times gone by, these first peoples continue to celebrate their history, while also embracing their future.
EARTHEN AND ROCK ART – TRUE DESERT WONDERS
The deserts of the Imperial Valley are beautiful, diverse and rich places. Not just for their natural geological wonders, but also because the deserts’ harsh and often extreme environment, have supported human life for thousands of years. Evidence of this history and life is present throughout the desert of Imperial Valley today, no more so than in earthen and rock art such as geoglyphs, pictographs and petroglyphs.
Geoglyphs, also known as intaglios, are large, impressive designs that are produced on the ground, typically formed by altering the landscape. This is done by removing dark rocks and sand to reveal the lighter sand underneath. This contrast in the earth acts as a brush stroke on a canvas, and the scale of geoglyphs make them only truly visible from the sky. Today, we do not fully understand the inspiration or intent in creating these pieces, but what we do know is that seeing a geoglyph from the ground or sky is an amazing experience.
Pictographs are paintings that are applied onto the surface of the rock. Paints are created with various minerals naturally occurring across the Imperial Valley and beyond. Hematite was used for red pigment, charcoal for black, and gypsum or crushed shell for white. When mixed with a binding agent like cactus juice, the minerals can be transformed into a paint. Typically, pictographs were painted by hand with fingers or with brushes made of agave fiber. Sharpened sticks for fine details were also used. While petroglyphs, by contrast, are images made by “peck-ing” or engraving into the rock itself. Made with stone tools, petroglyphs can include fine details. Some petroglyphs consist of only lines, while the one featured here includes pictures.
Conservation of geoglyphs, pictographs, petroglyphs is always a concern. Rock art is often vandalized with graffiti or chipped out of its natural landscape. All earthen art should be treated with respect and reverence, and should not be touched. Oils in human skin combined with continual touching will slowly destroy etched symbols over time. If you come across earthen art works while out hiking and enjoying our beautiful deserts in Imperial Valley, remember to leave only your footprints behind.
ENGAGING WITH LIVING CULTURE
You may not realize that just the simple task of traveling along the Interstate 8 corridor, that you are interacting with the indigenous peoples of this region. Names for cities and towns such as Jacumba and InKo-Pah, the name of the ancient Lake Cahuilla that once covered this area, and even the name of the interstate itself – the Kumeyaay Highway – demonstrate the history and continued presence of the first peoples surround us. These first peoples, who names define our modern maps and geography, still reside in their traditional regions.
Today, the 13 U.S.-based bands of the Kumeyaay Nation (there are five bands in Baja California, Mexico) are located between the Imperial Valley and San Diego. It is likely you have seen them traveling along the eastern corridor of the I-8: Campo, Viejas, Sycuan, Manzanita, La Posta, Barona, San Pasqual, Inaja Cosmit, Capitan, Santa Ysabel, Ewiiaapaayp, Jamul and Mesa Grande.
The area north of Imperial Valley, toward Palm Springs, is today home to the Cahuilla. Multiple bands of the Cahuilla exist today and play a vital role in their local economies: Agua Caliente, Morongo, Mission Creek, Los Coyotes, Ramona, Santa Rosa, Augustine, Cabazon and Torres-Martinez.
The Cocopah tribe of Arizona today oversees a span of over 6,500 acres south of Yuma, Ariz., and bordering California and Imperial County. Their lands play an important role in the modern agricultural landscape of the region. The Quechan are perhaps the most visible in the modern language of the land around us today. The Fort Yuma Reservation covers part of the traditional Quechan lands and extends across both Imperial County in California and Yuma County in Arizona. Both the county and its namesake city are named for the tribe.
REMEMBERING THE PAST, CELEBRATING THE FUTURE
Despite the extermination, losses of land, identity and culture, the indigenous peoples of this region have demonstrated outstanding resilience. There are numerous efforts underway for these peoples to come together to recognize their heritage and history as the First Peoples, and educate band members and non-members about cultural traditions and language. Ceremonies and social gatherings that serve to reinforce tradition and reclaim cultural identity.
In celebration of these efforts, IVDM is hosting Indigenous Cultures Day on Saturday. This is the first time in three years that IVDM has been able to host this event in person. Come out and join us for a day of vendors, traditional crafts and games, celebrating traditions and exploring the future ahead!