Kumeyaay and California Native Spirituality: Weaving Past, Present, and Future with Juan Reynoso

This session centers the history and perspectives of Kumeyaay peoples, the Indigenous peoples of San Diego. In 1769, The Mission San Diego de Alcalá, became the first Spanish Colonial Mission that sought to colonize California Native peoples. The Kumeyaay fought to dismantle the Spanish mission, the Mexican government, and later, the American colonial system. They continue to steward their ancestral homelands. Contemporary Kumeyaay include tribal members and their descendants from multiple Kumeyaay Bands in San Diego County and northwestern Mexico. This session focuses on the intricacies of Kumeyaay Spirituality and Religious intersections in cities, reservation communities, and beyond. Highlighting historical moments within Kumeyaay history, we will explore how “Spirituality,” prior to the settler colonial encroachment, laid the foundational understanding of relationality and reciprocity of all things. Lastly, we will consider how Kumeyaay Spirituality and Religion has changed over time, influencing how tribal communities relate to “tradition” through a contemporary lens.