The Kumeyaay Garden
The Kumeyaay Garden presents an opportunity for the community of USD to make a meaningful connection to the living Kumeyaay legacy.
The Kumeyaay people are the first inhabitants of San Diego, in fact the Kumeyaay once occupied the land that USD is built upon. Today, the Kumeyaay nation remains a vibrant and active part of the San Diego community. This garden offers a chance to learn more about the Kumeyaay and the native plants they relied on for their survival and well-being.
We encourage everyone to stop by, enjoy the view and spend some time learning about the native plants that are an essential part of the Kumeyaay culture. The Kumeyaay use these plants for food, drink, medicine, tools, clothing and shelter.
The Kumeyaay Garden is located on the north edge of USD campus, just north of the Hahn University Center, overlooking Tecolote Canyon.
Update: Photos from the garden preparation are shown below our plant list.
As you walk along the garden path, you'll notice the native plants are labeled with a number. Use this number to identify the plant below.
Choose a plant name to learn more about the plant and its traditional use by the Kumeyaay people. The Kumeyaay name is placed in italics.
- huutat - Lemonade Berry
- pellytaay - White Sage
- telku - Barrel Cactus
- kwa'ak - California Wild Rose
- hamil - Flat Top Buckwheat
- kepally - Elderberry
- a'naally - Chilean Mesquite
- esnyaaw - Coast Live Oak
- Cliff Spurge
- pullaay - Showy Island Snapdragon
- samaall kwsiyaay - Desert Broom
- Bushmallow
- miikell - Ramona Lilac
- miltii'aaw - Matilija Poppy
- No plant at this time.
- California Wild Grape
- ha'anya yul - Black Sage
- San Diego Marsh Elder
- iipshii - Chamise
- ehpaa - Coastal Prickly Pear
- Desert Willow
- hasill - Mission Manzanita
- hosiill - Toyon
- samaall kwsiyaay - Coyote Brush
- inyekhaay - Coffee Berry
- kwechash - California Sage Brush
- 'epshash - Bladderpod
- No plant at this time.
- nahekwi - California Brittlebush
- California Desert Thorn
- etat'kwilly - Coastal Cholla
- kushu - Jojoba
- pullaay -Baja Bush Snapdragon
- Red Bush Monkey Flower
- sha'a - Mojave Yucca
- mulh'amulh - Cleveland Sage
- emally - Shaw’s Agave
- Red Fairy Duster
- ektii - Laurel Sumac
- kwa'naay - Basket Rush
- kwaayull - Deer Grass
- sa'maall - Yerba Santa
- San Diego Willowy Mint
- hpiip - Morman Tea
- inyekhaay - Chokecherry
- Wooly Blue Curls
- Red Monardella
- Desert Brittlebush
- millykumaay - Chalk Dudleya
- Lady Fingers Dudleya
Kristie Orosco prepares the Kumeyaay Garden site for new plants.
Marcy Darby surrounds a new plant with a rock circle.
Johnny Bear Contreras prepares our Kumeyaay sculpture in his studio.
Johnny Bear secures his sculpture along the foot path of USD campus.
Mike Mayer finds a new home for a barrel cactus, with Tecolote Canyon in the background.
Upcoming Native American events
Malki Museum Agave Harvest
This wonderful event occurs mid-April every year.
The Agave Harvest and Tasting is an annual event sponsored by the Malki Museum. It is held on two consecutive Saturdays in mid- to late-April, when the Agave plants were traditionally gathered. The agave or amul was a basic food staple for indigenous people of Southern California.
Reservations Recommended: Please call (951) 849 7289
Malki Museum website for more information
USD: Department of Ethnic Studies
University of San Diego is blessed with a very active ethnic studies department. This department was instrumental in the establishment of the Kumeyaay Garden.
The USD Ethnic Studies home page lists many resources and websites pertaining to local indigenous communities. Below, we have listed a few other Kumeyaay related websites. You can learn about upcoming indigenous events through these sites.
Barona Cultural Center and Museum
California American Indian and Indigenous Film Festival
The USD Kumeyaay Garden opened September 2017
On Friday, September 22, 2017, the University of San Diego, in conjunction with the Office of Tribal Liaison, dedicated and opened the Kumeyaay Garden.
This was a beautiful ceremony that kicked off the garden in grand fashion.
In celebrating Native American culture, the event included Bird Songs, storytelling, ethnobotany tours, Kumeyaay cultural activities, and an art exhibition. Hands-on activities included basket making, Kumeyaay games and smoothies made with ingredients gathered from plants indigenous to Southern California.
The purpose of the dedication was to create a space that recognizes the importance of USD's location on the traditional territory of the Kumeyaay Nation and to honor indigenous plants used by the Kumeyaay people.
Originally named the Tecolote Memorial Garden, the area was a focus of a student-led movement to urge USD to incorporate more indigenous, drought-resistant plants into the university's landscaping plan. More recently, students from the Ethnic Studies Department pushed to have the garden officially renamed the Kumeyaay Garden in recognition of the relationship between the indigenous people of the area and the environment.
A committee of students, staff and faculty worked with local ethnobotanists Kristie Orosco (Kumeyaay) and Richard Bugbee (Luiseno) to highlight the Kumeyaay names and uses for the fifty plants in the garden. In addition, USD commissioned Johnny Bear Contreras (Kumeyaay) to create a public art piece that ties the garden to the Kumeyaay creation story and astronomy.