Kumeyaay Uses of Plants

we gratefully acknowledge the ancestral homeland of the kumei people where the city of poway now lies for millennia they lived in harmony and balanced with the natural world that sustained protected and provided for the people we respectfully share the history of this ancient village site as well as celebrate the continued presence and contributions of the kumaya people here in poway and san diego county haka memiyu temiwa welcome to the kumiyai epai interpretive center of poway the site of an ancient kumiyai village imagine a world where there were no houses no cars no streets no businesses this is the world that the kumiyai lived in they lived very closely in harmony with the natural world around them the world provided everything they needed for building supplies for food for tools and for medicine they knew which woods to use depending on whether they needed strength or lightness or flexibility or durability they knew which plants provided for the food that they needed and they knew which plants would give them medicine for everything from headaches and toothaches to stomach disorders kidney issues wounds and cuts and blood disorders they got everything they needed from the world around them so join us on this tour of the five acre site owned by the city of poway and take a glimpse into the world of the cumia this is a chemise plant and the chemise is also known as a grease wood due to the flammable oils in the leaves and it made it a great firewood for use for cooking and for heat the kumi i constructed arrow four shafts with these stems because they were very straight and the force shaft was a portion of the arrow which was detachable actually so this part was made from chemise and the other part was a different material made from mule fat but this one could be laid over hot coals and then it became as hard as iron it could be carved into a point like this then the tea was also made from the leaves and the stems to soak infected sore and swollen parts of the body this is a mule fat and the mule fat has long straight stems as you can see in the back that we used for making fish traps arrow shafts and also bird traps and this is an example of a fish trap medicinally the fresh shoots were used for bathing injured limbs to restore movement and a hair wash from the infusion of leaves could be used to control dandruff or fungal infections of the scalp and also removed any parasites pounding the root and soaking it overnight made a soap [Music] this is the white sage plant you can tell the white sage plants differentiate from the other plants that are much darker by their light blue and grayish leaves they're highly aromatic which means they smell really good the boys and men would take the sage and they would rub it all over their body to camouflage that smell of human so that when they were hunting they could get closer to deer and other types of animals that they were hunting now the kumiyai would use the white sage for medicine to use treat respiratory things like a stuffed up nose or a cold they would use it to smell to clear their nasal passages and they would also make it into a tea the seeds of the white sage were very small and when the plants were young and the seeds were young little like this they would eat them raw as another source of food and protein the kumi would also bundle the sage into bundles they would light it with fire and they would smudge the smoke and lead it up to the sky [Music] this is the blue elderberry tree now it's hard to believe but in the springtime this tree is covered with beautiful green leaves and blue elderberries it was an important tree to the cumiai that they used for ceremonies such as births and deaths and other life events what's interesting about the blue elderberry is that the branches are hollow as you can see in this picture here are some freshly cut elderberry branches showing those hollow branches inside they would use the branches to make musical instruments such as a flute also a clapper stick that they would use in ceremonies and other rhythmic dances and that's the blue elderberry tree the agave had many uses for the kumei mainly they would use it for cordage or string the leaves of the agave would be stripped like so and it would produce tiny fibers that the kumihi lady would weave together using their hands the cordage from the agave was used for such items as sandals for skirts and for weaving baskets or nets for catching fish and the kumi would also use this for a trading tool with other tribes the digging stick was used to dig the heart of the agave from the ground the kumyai would dig a very large pit and they would fill it with fire made from wood and very hot stones they would put the heart of the agave in the pit cover it with sand and roast it for a few days and come up with a very tasty treat [Music] so this plant is the yucca also known as our lord's candle the kumihai used every part of the yucca plant the base and the stock were roasted and the raw flowers were eaten and dried for later these are the young raw flowers and the root within the yucca plant when they mix it with water it makes a very soapy substance that the kumihi would use for bathing the leaves of the yucca plant have fiber inside that the kumei would use to make cords or twine they would use the cord for tying sage bundles and also to tie blankets together also the tip of the yucca is very sharp they would use that sharp tip to sew together things like rabbit furs to make blankets the base of the yucca plant was used for many reasons they would use it for food they would also use it to store later so that they could cook it later and use it it's also a very light and fairly hollow stock so they would use that as a quiver to store their arrows in and it was surprisingly light to carry they also used the stock for fuel because it would burn very bright long and hot [Music] so this is the juncus plant the kumi eye were and are expert basket makers they would take the reeds of the junkies they would dry them and they would split the tiny little cords either with a tool or with their fingernail and then they would weave it with other grasses and dried materials to make baskets such as this with pine needles and other grass and the juncus plant they would use the basket for trading they would trade it for things like fish or shells or other things that they couldn't get in the inland valleys they would also use the baskets for storage and for gathering their materials they would use the baskets with dried soot or ash or other materials to color it and when they wove their baskets they would have colors and designs in them and they would also gather the jungles during a full moon it was believed that the the jungles was stronger and straighter during the full moon period when they cut the juncus they would cut it very low to the stock so that it would grow back and be used over and over again because the kumiyai didn't waste any materials that they had at their hands and this is the juncus plant the willow tree was a very important plant to the cumiai they would use the branches bark and leaves for many purposes such as shelter construction clothing medicine food and they would even use the flexible branches for things like bows for their arrows and constructing cradle boards to carry their babies skirts were made from dry willow bark and acorn granaries used to store acorns were made from flexible shoots and leaves salicylic acid the active ingredient found in aspirin was first isolated in the willow trees of course we all know that aspirin is used for headaches toothaches and body aches and the kumi i used them for the same reasons [Music] the toyin was a really versatile tree the branches could be used to make bows while the leaves and stems were used to make a tea for whooping cough and colds it also has a red berry on it which would they would harvest it it has a very bitter taste so they would lay it out in the sun to let it ripen bunches of berries were roasted in a cooking basket and then they were crushed and maybe any honey added to make a sauce the prickly pear cactus had many uses the fruit is called a tuna and it could be eaten fresh it's very sweet or they would take the seeds and grind them and dry them they could also make a drink out of it they would cut it open and dry the seeds in the sun and then make little cakes out of it make a meal to make little cakes the pads could also be eaten or used medicinally they were applied directly onto swollen areas to reduce swelling and were also considered to control diabetes tar weed which has sticky leaves often grows close to the prickly pear they would use bunches of tarweed like a brush to clean the fruit [Music] the holly leaf cherry produced a fruit that could be eaten raw also the seeds had an acid in it which you didn't want to eat so they had to process it to get that out of it then it could be made into a mush that could be used for coughs and also administered as an eye wash okay the oak tree was very important to the kumi eye because the fruit of the oak the acorn was the staple of their diet this is the coastal live oak which produced smaller skinnier acorns and the mountains the black oak had larger acorns that were sweeter some families would eat 500 pounds of acorns in a year so when they harvested the acorn and processed it it was an all-day affair for the whole family so the inner bark of the oak tree could be boiled and made into fabric dye or dye to dye the juncus for basketry and also the bark could be burned and made a good fire for firing pottery the rabbit stick was made from the branches of the oak tree and used as a projectile for hunting small animals they would soak it bend it and let it dry and then use a stone knife to smooth the edges [Music] this is the manzanita bush and manzanita is spanish for little apple the berries look like little apples and can be used to make into a drink they would add honey to it to make it sweeter manzanita leaves were used to soothe poison oak rash and the flowers could be taken straight from the tree and eaten manzanita also makes excellent firewood as it burns hot and even [Music] the buckwheat leaves and flowers were used to calm the nerves and to help as a sleep aid parts of the plant were also pounded on the matate and then made into a tea and then swollen feet could be placed in the liquid to help only part of the root was cut so the plant could continue to grow [Music] lemonade berry and sugar bush both produced sticky red berries that could be eaten right off the tree or made into a tangy drink during long hot journeys the leaves and the berries could be placed in the mouth to keep thirst at bay the sugar bush berries had a sugar coating on them hence the name which would be shaken off before consumption and then the berries could be made into a drink that was said to be both tangy and sweet at the same time laurel sumac is closely related to lemonade berry sugar bush mangoes and cashews a mixture of laurel sumac holly leaf cherry and buckwheat flowers was used to clean eyes [Music] we have already seen how elderberry branches were made into musical instruments medicinally elderberry had strong antiseptic and anti-infection properties the flowers were gathered and hung up to dry and later used in the treatment of colds coughs and flu fruits were eaten when ripe or made into a drink these berries could also be dried and stored for later use [Music] here we have the monkey flowers and monkey face no flowers here but they did range in color as we see from pale to a bright scarlet red the um leaves and the stems could be eaten much like a salad the root was used for stomach problems and there was a resin from the leaves that could be used to soothe minor burns is not really a true sage but it actually belongs to the mint family an infusion of its leaves and stems was used to wash sores and wounds a bitter tea could be made from sagebrush and sage was helpful in reducing fevers and colds as well as aiding in indigestion vomiting or diarrhea sagebrush is a natural insect repellent and was used to line the base of their homes as well as lining the acorn granaries to keep out the bugs and spiders [Music] this is a cyanosis which also means lilac or a soap bush and the lilac in the spring has beautiful flowers either lavender white or blue flowers the flowers can be picked and rubbed together in the palm of your hand with a few drops of water all of a sudden you'll have a lather and that's what they used for their soap and therefore it's called the soap bush as well dried leaves were used for tea to treat inflammation this is a ramada built for shade and as a resting place for kumiyai to sit around and tell stories to each other and also to just enjoy the view and relax and the a kiway is a community word meaning windbreak and this is behind me is the windbreak which we have made from bacaris which is profuse in this whole area and it stopped the westerly winds from bothering people as they sat here quietly and resting the area here has a lot of grinding stones called matates which the women used to grind acorns and the small rock in the middle that they actually ground with were called manos now each woman had their own mentate and if they left they turned the metate over to basically to hide it and the same with the mano so that not any other woman would use their metate this plant is called a choc dudlia the leaves have a very high water content and the chalk word is given because if you rub your hand on the leaf itself your hand becomes chalky that was the purpose of the name chalk dudlia now if we use the leaves it would be picked and chewed because they have a high water content and you can see the moisture inside that leaf so if they were thirsty this would help alleviate thirst they were also used these leaves were also used to treat calluses and corns on the feet and when the sweet and juicy flowers blossomed they can be actually eaten and then the boiled root could also be used to treat asthma urban santa was used for treating colds sore throats and relieving congestion it was also used as a general tonic for aches and pains and could be used mixed with honey to make it a little more palatable for chest or back pains from excessive coughing the leaves would be placed directly on the skin and would remain there until the pain subsided the leaves were also used like a band-aid for cuts [Music] rocks were important to the kumiai people for their symbolism they were also part of the creation stories and were painted on in coming of age and religious ceremonies we suspect that this rock outcropping was important to the people who lived here and they're the shapes of three animals that occur naturally in the rocks there's the whale [Music] the dolphin and the turtle on top can you see them [Music] kumihi communities were located where there were oak tree woodlands and bedrock for grinding and a nearby water source on this bedrock we see three very deep grinding holes they're about 13 inches deep they've been here for thousands of years and have acorns ground in them for thousands of years there's also the grinding slick and these little fuels which were used for the mixing of pigments imagine how much grinding it took to get these holes so deep as was mentioned earlier acorns were a staple of the kumiyai diet they would be collected and then they had to dry in the sun for about 10 days after after they had been collected once they had dried then they were cracked open using a hand stone and then the process of removing the acorns would occur once you have the acorns removed they need to dry a little bit more so that then you can rub the nut in your hand and the skin would fly would remove the women would use a winnowing basket to winnow away the skins once they had been removed they would grind the nuts to a very fine flour using a hand stone or sometimes even a stout branch once the acorns were ground into the flour then they would make a meal called shawi sort of an acorn mush that they would cook when preparing this acorn mush the shawi they could often add meat such as rabbits or wood rat to the mush and they could add berries to give it more of a sweeter flavor acorns contain a bitter tannic acid that needs to be leached away from the egg from the acorn they would do this by having the flower in a basket and in a usually in a sand pit and they would pour water over and over and over again until all of the tannic acid is leached out they could collect that tannic water to use either for dying the junkists when they were making their baskets and sometimes even used to cure or tan the hides of animals [Music] this fire pit right next to the morteros is a cooking area that was used you can see the fire damage on the rocks and there's also a hole in it further back which would vent the smoke away we've found lots of things in this area like broken pieces of pottery and we also have found these cooking stones the kumi eye would use these to cook with they would get them very very hot in the fire and then transfer them into the basket where they would be cooking their food so these were used over and over again the kumi i enjoyed a wonderful view overlooking power valley today we see houses and roads and cars but when they lived here it was a valley of winding streams and full of trees the kumi i word pauwai was the name for this valley and that means the merging of waters the merging of creeks there were oak trees and sycamore trees and cottonwood trees the banks of the creeks were full of rushes and cattails mule deer rabbits raccoons mountain lions coyotes were in this valley as were the smaller animals like lizards the only sound to be heard was the wind small animals scuttling around and coyotes howling in the distance and the sound of the kumihai children playing from this beautiful vantage point we can see twin peaks at the base of which was a large kumei village there were five known village sites in poway and that would have been the largest the mountain with the antenna on top is mount woodson this was known as the mountain of moonlit rocks in kumiyai mythology this is where the moon sleeps and is considered a sacred area far in the distance we can sometimes see cuyamaca mountain or cuimuk which means behind the cloud as there is often haze or mist in the atmosphere between us and this mountain range [Music] early kumiyai lived in small dome-shaped houses the doors faced east to take advantage of morning sun and protect against westerly winds here at the center we have replica he was so the inner frame was made of willow which was flexible and allowed for the construction of the frame the outer part of the ewa was layered with tulleys cattails or baccarats bound tightly together and then attached to the frame although cooking was mostly carried out outside some ewos did have a hole in the top to allow smoke to escape bacarus also made an effective sweeping tool for cleaning the inside of the ewa this ancient historical site is a fragile part of the environment and is preserved for the history that it encompasses we are all stewards of this site our respect for nature and for others beliefs following in the paths of the kumiyai make all of our lives richer for that we hope that you will come and visit us at the kumiyai epai interpretive center and see this wonderful cultural resource for yourself [Music] the city of paris mission is to share and interpret the history of this site with our visitors for many generations to come if you would like to help us in this effort by becoming a docent or assisting us with the maintenance needed to keep our site looking beautiful please check out our website or give us a call our training is self-paced and free current opening times and upcoming programs can also be found on our website

Channel: City of Poway

Views: 2,646

Keywords:

Id: GFX6HTlgZfc

Length: 25min 54sec (1554 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 29 2021