A new Kumeyaay-Diegueño flag will be unveiled Friday at Point Loma’s Cabrillo National Monument. The flag is made up of logos representing the 12 bands in the region. For the whole story, and to see the flag, click on “More”.

By Chet Barfield,
STAFF WRITER,
San Diego Tribune

The Kumeyaay-Diegueño flag is made up of logos representing the 12 bands in the region. It will be unveiled Friday at Point Loma’s Cabrillo National Monument.

Flagship Distributors

The Kumeyaay Indians have occupied the region for some 10,000 years. Now, at long last, they have an official flag.

A newly made flag representing the Kumeyaay-Diegueño Nation will be flown for the first time Friday at Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma. It will be hoisted alongside flags of the United States, Mexico, Portugal and Spain for the 5:30 p.m. opening ceremonies of the National Park Service’s annual Cabrillo Festival.

The flag’s creation has been in the works for more than a year, inspired by an elder from the Jamul tribe and approved by a committee of leaders of the region’s 12 bands of Kumeyaay – or Diegueño, as some prefer to be called – Indians.

“The intention is to provide recognition and acknowledgment of the fact that the Kumeyaay have been here since the Spanish arrived, and as a nation of clans and bands we’re still here,” said Louie Guassac, a Mesa Grande tribal member who coordinated the project for the Kumeyaay-Diegueño Unity Committee.

The flag shows the tribal logos of each band, displayed in a circle. It is bordered by colors symbolizing the four directions of north, south, east and west – a basic tenet of native spirituality.

Guassac and park officials said the idea for a flag came from Jamul elder Jane Dumas, 82, who has taken part in the Cabrillo Festival since the late 1980s. At the opening ceremonies, Dumas prays in her native language and blesses the gathering with sage in a Kumeyaay spiritual tradition.

Dumas said it saddened her to see the other flags at the monument and no formal recognition of her ancestors who were here when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed Sept. 28, 1542. The Portuguese explorer, sailing for Spain, was the first known European to come to San Diego.

“I was hurt because we weren’t visible” at the national monument, Dumas said. “I knew I had to do something about it.”

Dumas asked Cabrillo monument Superintendent Terry DiMattio if the park service would allow a flag for the tribes. DiMattio said he considered it a good idea and got permission.

“They’ve been working on it for a while,” he said of Dumas and the Kumeyaay committee. “This year, it materialized.”

Guassac said the first set of flags, being provided by a San Diego supplier through a manufacturer in Oklahoma, is expected to arrive shortly. The Sycuan tribe, for whom Guassac does consulting work, handled the design production and is paying the manufacturing costs, he said.

In addition to the Cabrillo banner, Guassac said Old Town San Diego State Historic Park also has expressed interest in having one or more of the flags.

DiMattio said he is proud that the Kumeyaay-Diegueño flag will be unveiled at Cabrillo.

As usual, he said, consul officials of Mexico, Spain and Portugal will participate in the ceremonial opening of the weekend-long festival. Visiting dignitaries often are moved by the blessings and sentiments that Dumas shares, DiMattio said.

“She talks about the people who were here and the fact that we are all walking arm-in-arm toward the future,” he said. “I think it’s important that we recognize that there were people who were here when Cabrillo arrived, that they’re still here, that they’re an active and vibrant part of San Diego’s culture and history and should not be overlooked.”

Cabrillo Festival
The 2006 Cabrillo Festival will be held this weekend in Point Loma. Additional information about the festival can be found online at www. nps. gov/ cabr/ planyourvisit/ cabrillo-festival. htm

Chet Barfield: (619) 542-4572; chet.barfield@uniontrib.com

© Copyright 2006 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.

Posted on September 25th, 2006 by admin
Filed under: Events, Reservations, Uncategorized