First-ever Indigenous Ocean Day at Birch Aquarium
A celebration of Indigenous people and ocean culture brought together local communities
Photos by @wonderstruck_kehaulani
La Jolla, CA (Dec. 17, 2024)—Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego hosted its first-ever Indigenous Ocean Day on November 23. The event honored Indigenous people and Indigenous ocean knowledge with the original peoples in the region now called San Diego County and northern Baja California, including Kumeyaay, Payómkawichum, Cupeño, Cahuilla, and neighboring tribal groups. The event was attended by approximately 650 Indigenous community members who were among more than 1,800 guests throughout the day.
“Indigenous Ocean Day was made possible through collaboration with Indigenous community members with the goal to make Birch Aquarium an authentic resource and gathering place for the Indigenous community,” said Nan Renner, Senior Director of Strategic Partnership at Birch Aquarium.
The event began with an opening ceremony with remarks by organizers Renner and Priscilla Ortiz Sawah (Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and descendant of Rincon), Miss UC San Diego Powwow Princess Alexis Weeks, Dr. Stan Rodriguez (a leader in the Kumeyaay community) and Birdsinging by Bobo Elliott, Jamie LaBrake, Blue Eagle Visil and Eagle Visil. Cultural sharing included poetry and stories with Juan Reynoso of the Queer SOL Collective plus booths hosted by local groups where guests learned more about culturally significant ocean animals, interacted with hands-on activities and explored resources from Indigenous-led organizations.
“I watched community members of all generations and partnering organizations come together in celebration of our Indigenous resilience and growth; it was very healing for me,” said Ortiz Sawah.
Guests also participated in a community boat-build to create a Kumeyaay tule boat (ha kwaiyo) on Blue Beach hosted by Rodriguez, Raymond Martinez and Colin Richard. A completed tule boat is currently on display in the aquarium’s exhibition Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen in the Kumeyaay Ha Kwaiyo installation. Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen is one of the six locations of Embodied Pacific which features projects by 30 artists working with researchers in laboratories, field sites and archives in Southern California and the Pacific Islands. Embodied Pacific is one of more than 70 exhibitions and programs part of Getty initiative PST ART: Art & Science Collide.
Indigenous Ocean Day at Birch Aquarium coincided with Getty’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide San Diego Weekend and Native American Heritage Month. Facilitators and advisors included Priscilla Ortiz Sawah, Dr. Stan Rodriguez, Ana Gloria “Martha” Rodriguez, Juan Reynoso, Michael Connolly Miskwish and Heather Ponchetti Daly. Presenting organizations included Ataaxum Pomkwan, Barona Cultural Center & Museum, California Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos, Coastal Defenders, Kosay Kumeyaay Market, Kumeyaay Community College, Native Like Water, Southern Indian Health Council, Inc., Sycuan Cultural Center, Tipey Joa and Queer SOL Collective. Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers working in collaboration with Indigenous communities also shared, including the Research and Mentoring Program at UC San Diego, Scripps Center for Marine Archeology and UC San Diego Natural Reserve System.
About Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Birch Aquarium features the groundbreaking work of Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego scientists as well as conservation breeding programs and interactive exhibits. Birch Aquarium’s mission is to connect understanding to protecting our ocean planet, which it achieves through engaging hands-on learning opportunities for more than 500,000 guests and 40,000-plus pre-K-12 students each year. Visit aquarium.ucsd.edu for more information.
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