Documentary Chronicles History, Culture Of San Diego’s ‘First People’
Documentary Chronicles History, Culture Of San Diego's 'First People'
GUESTS:Kumeyaay Native speaker Stan Rodriguez, is a Kumeyaay bird singer from the Santa Ysabel reservation, he plays a can rattle and sings Ipai and Diegueño Yuman songs.
John Eagle Spirit Elliott is a member of the Manzanita Band of Kumeyaay Indians.
The image of the American Indian is usually on horseback, perhaps hunting buffalo on the Great Plains. The image of modern-day Native Americans in San Diego is often linked to the county's popular and profitable casinos.
But there's a central truth to the Native American culture in this part of the world that both stereotypes ignore: For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay lived in a vast nation north and south of the border, from the desert to the coast.
The documentary "First People - Kumeyaay," shows how San Diego's Native Americans are reclaiming their traditions.