Living Room Lecture: Ethnozoology of the Kumeyaay People

Lecture from 9/28/2023. For the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County, animals, birds, insects, and other creatures hold a special place in the cosmos and played a variety of important roles. Some were involved in the creation, they can be whimsical, they can avenge, they can heal, and animals with certain powers can shift shapes and shimmer in the firelight. Their embodiment is not always easily visualized because some creatures, large and small, exist in worlds not always seen by most humans, and rarely acknowledged by archaeologists. For many of the native people, there was a time when animals were actually human. In the mythic, ancient time what we now know as humans, or more correctly as mortals, did not exist. The world was inhabited by animals and by animals who were humans but not mortals—these were the Early People and some creatures could embody traits of what came to be known as the mortal humans and animals. Only later in time did the separation grow between animals and humans, and at that time the humans became mortal.

This presentation will provide an analysis and discussion of the role and place of non-human creatures within the world and cosmos of the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County. The various creatures are of the land, the ocean, the lakes, and the sky—they are not bound to soil as are most humans. The role of animals in the native world is multi-faceted but often overlooked. Serving as a food source (such as deer) does not preclude the animal from having spiritual powers or from having special attributes. With few exceptions, animals small and large, powerful and meek, on the ground or in the sky, appear as a near constant in the native world.

For upcoming events visit https://sandiegoarchaeology.org/​​

About the San Diego Archaeological Center
The San Diego Archaeological Center is a nonprofit museum, education, and research facility where visitors can learn the story of how people have lived in San Diego County for the past 10,000 years. Located in San Pasqual Valley, it is the only local organization dedicated to the collection, study, curation, and exhibition of San Diego County’s archaeological artifacts.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this video are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the San Diego Archaeological Center.