Some days you just have to get out of the office! At Imperial Valley Desert Museum, we strive to be more than just a building with four walls. Sometimes, that means a road trip to work with others on their own turf. On Sunday, August 4, IVDM staff made the three hour drive south of the border to the coastal town of Ensenada for its 15th annual Nativa! festival.
Bringing together indigenous artists from across Baja, the weekend-long festival featured traditional crafts, foods, songs, and dances of the Kumiai, Pai Pai, Kiliwa, and Cucapa [sic]. Its purpose? To spread, strengthen, and celebrate their ancestral traditions of crafts! Over 60 stalls and vendors were present across the day with everything from pottery to reed, pine, palm, and willow basketry, hunting tools, stone and metal sculptures, traditional herbs and medicines, and loads of food and drink.
IVDM staff had a blast exploring around the festival, meeting the artists and learning more about their process and the crafting itself. Sampling not only traditional dishes like shawii (a ground acorn paste that's a high-protein superfood), staff also got to experience the continued evolution and growth of these traditions with more modern staples. From homemade wine to the bitter grounds of Ajak Kuneey A'aal (a new, acorn-based coffee), all sampled while watching a large group sing their traditional bird songs, the flavors and offerings were as rich as the day itself.
The festival was an incredible and busy day with plenty to see, do, and experience. It truly was something amazing to see so many come together to celebrate the rich history and culture of the region's indigenous peoples, and to explore the new ways in which that culture continues to grow and thrive today. As both a tribute of their past and a celebration of the tribes' present and future, I'm thrilled that IVDM was fortunate enough to attend!
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