ESCONDIDO — Native American tribes from across San Diego County gathered on April 19 for the inaugural Southern California Indigenous Culture and Art Festival in Grape Day Park, a first-of-its-kind event in Escondido that celebrates the region’s Indigenous heritage through dance, song, art and storytelling.
Organized by the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, part of the larger Kumeyaay Nation, and co-sponsored by the city of Escondido, the festival welcomed tribal communities to share their culture with the public through live performances and demonstrations.
Discussions to host the festival began last year between Mayor Dane White, then-council candidate Judy Fitzgerald, and leaders of the San Pasqual Band. In early April, the tribe formally requested that the city cover most of the event’s costs — nearly $72,000 — with the understanding that the tribe and other local bands would fund future festivals.
“We want to keep this going every year if we can,” said Johnny Hughes, a San Pasqual Band member, during the April 2 City Council meeting.
Hughes also serves as a founder and board member of the Native Youth Foundation, which works to empower Indigenous youth through education and sports, and participated in the festival.
While some City Council members expressed concern about the timing and expense of the funding request, the council ultimately approved the allocation, citing the festival’s cultural significance.
Escondido is home to the San Pasqual Band, whose ancestors once lived in the San Pasqual Valley near today’s San Diego Zoo Safari Park before being displaced following the arrival of Spanish colonizers and the establishment of Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769.
Today, the tribe’s reservation sits in the hills overlooking Lake Wohlford and neighboring Valley Center, and is home to Valley View Casino, the Band’s primary economic driver.
Although the San Pasqual Band organized the event, other local tribes contributed stories and traditions, including Diana Duro of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, a member of the Pala Cultural Resource Committee.
Duro shared the story of the Cupeño people, who now comprise part of the Pala tribe alongside the Luiseños. The Cupeño, or “Kuupangaxwichem,” meaning “people who slept here,” were relocated from their ancestral homeland in Warner Springs to the Luiseño reservation in Pala in May 1903.
According to the Pala Band, it marked the first time in U.S. history that two distinct tribes were forced to share a reservation. Duro described the emotional three-day journey, now known as the Cupeño “Trail of Tears.”
“We didn’t come in fancy clothes, we came as is,” Duro said. “They called us savages, but we didn’t have fences and walls around us, we were free. That’s how we grew.”
At the festival, Duro and fellow dancers wore handmade dresses reminiscent of those worn by women during the relocation. Their performance was accompanied by the Kupa Song and Dance Group, who sang songs recounting the Cupeño’s history.
Out-of-state tribal members also participated, including Rebekah Jarvey, a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe from Montana and an Indigenous fashion designer. Jarvey collaborated with the Native Youth Foundation to showcase her designs with local Native youth modeling on stage.
The event featured food vendors, including those selling frybread, Indigenous-inspired jewelry and apparel, and informational booths offering resources for Native communities.
City and tribal leaders estimated attendance between 2,000 and 5,000 for the landmark cultural celebration.
