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Gathering of Nations: A Celebration of Indigenous Culture
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Saturday, November 4 celebrates the 2nd annual Gathering of Nations at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center and the Bonita Sunnyside SD County Library. The gathering celebrates indigenous cultures, highlighting craftspeople, storytellers, food and educational resources held on traditional Kumeyaay lands. The museum and event will take place in the Greg Cox Civic Complex located at 4355 Bonita Road, in Bonita CA. 91902. The events are free and open to the public.
The event will be opened by tribal elders and delegates and includes Kumeyaay Bird Singers. The cultural bird songs, of which there are 300 in the takut cycle, are a metaphor for life. On stage find presentations and regalia from Aztec Dancers, Mexi’cayotl Indio Cultural Center, and the “Eagle Spirit Dancers” Ben Hale dancers, presentation of powwow culture. Visiting tribal members from New Mexico.
Visitors will find educational resources from Kumeyaay College’s Kosay Kumeyaay Market, Blackfeet displays with Chuck Jenson, and Kumeyaay tribal community of San Jose de la Zorra, Baja California, Mexico, basket weaver Aurelia Ojeda Melendrez. Aurelia is famous for her coiled rattlesnake basket patterns and Kumeyaay basket hats.
Food at the event includes Lucy Hale’s Frybread stand, Taco El Pintor, and The Empanada Spot.
Inside the museum, visitors can discover the history of the Sweetwater Valley as well as explore the elements of a new Kumeyaay permanent exhibition opening in 2024. The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center is currently gathering funding to create an exhibition about Kumeyaay past and present in the Sweetwater Valley. This exhibition will allow visitors to see and hear the Kumeyaay language including the names of places, objects and animals. The language will be spoken by members of Kumeyaay College's language department. The exhibition will be implemented by Kumeyaay College students with exhibition designer Michael Connolly of the Campo Band of Kumeyaay.
The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center is located in the Sweetwater River Valley near ancient Kumeyaay village sites including the village of Apusquel. The Gathering of Nations is coordinated by the museum’s Indigenous Cultures Educator Heather Gallana. For more information about events, please find the museum online at Bonitahistoricalsociety.org.
Sponsors for the event include the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and DAR, Linnares Chapter. The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center, located in San Diego County, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Information about the exhibition and programming can be found on the website www.bonitahistoricalsociety.org. The museum is located at 4355 Bonita Road, Bonita California. Exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Event Supported By
Bonita Museum & Cultural Center
The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center features exhibits of local history and fine arts. The Bonita Museum, established over 20 years ago as a one-day display of historic photographs, strives to preserve, for public education and enjoyment, the culture, history, art, crafts and aesthetic facets of the region, specifically El Rancho de la Naçion in South San Diego County. In the Audi Lawson Gallery, the various stories of Bonita’s 100-year history are told with artifacts and photographs. Displays include Native American culture, the lemon orchard period, the events of the flood of 1916, and the transformation of family life by technology. Presentations in The Corky McMillin Companies Gallery change six times each year, and include the Museum’s Annual Juried Fine Art Exhibit, Community Art Shows and traveling exhibits of art and history. The Museum also hosts various special events each year, including an annual Dia de Los Muertos celebration. The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center is located at 4355 Bonita Road in Bonita, adjacent to the Bonita Sunnyside Branch Library, and the hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further information, contact Museum Director Julie Gay at (619) 267-5141.
