The Kumeyaay Garden

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.

1. huutat - Lemonade Berry
2. pellytaay - White Sage
3. telku - Barrel Cactus
4. kwa'ak - California Wild Rose
5. hamil - Flat Top Buckwheat
6. kepally - Elderberry
7. a'naally - Chilean Mesquite
8. esnyaaw - Coast Live Oak
9. Cliff Spurge 
10. pullaay - Showy Island Snapdragon
11. samaall kwsiyaay - Desert Broom
12. Bushmallow
13. miikell - Ramona Lilac
14. miltii'aaw - Matilija Poppy
15. No plant at this time.
16. California Wild Grape
17. ha'anya yul - Black Sage
18. San Diego Marsh Elder
19. iipshii - Chamise
20. ehpaa - Coastal Prickly Pear
21. Desert Willow
22. hasill - Mission Manzanita
23. hosiill - Toyon
24. samaall kwsiyaay - Coyote Brush
25. inyekhaay - Coffee Berry
26. kwechash - California Sage Brush
27. 'epshash - Bladderpod
28. No plant at this time.
29. nahekwi - California Brittlebush
30. California Desert Thorn
31. etat'kwilly - Coastal Cholla
32. kushu - Jojoba
33. pullaay -Baja Bush Snapdragon
34. Red Bush Monkey Flower
35. sha'a - Mojave Yucca
36. mulh'amulh - Cleveland Sage
37. emally - Shaw’s Agave
38. Red Fairy Duster
39. ektii - Laurel Sumac
40. kwa'naay - Basket Rush
41. kwaayull - Deer Grass
42. sa'maall - Yerba Santa
43. San Diego Willowy Mint
44. hpiip - Morman Tea
45. inyekhaay - Chokecherry
46. Wooly Blue Curls
47. Red Monardella
48. Desert Brittlebush
49. millykumaay - Chalk Dudleya
50. 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

Kumeyaay.com

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.