This month La Playa Trail Association brings author-historian professor Richard Carrico to the podium for a presentation titled, Kumeyaay on the Coast: Overlooked Aspects of Native Fishing and Maritime Technology. Everyone is welcome to attend this lecture on Tuesday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m., located at Point Loma Assembly, 3035 Talbot St. Light refreshments will be served from 5:30 to 6 p.m. with the lecture to follow.
San Diego Bay and Point Loma have always been a mecca for those who want to fish and enjoy the rich bounty of this coastal region. “The Kumeyaay people of San Diego County are often portrayed as people who relied on acorns, deer, and rabbit as primary food sources,” Carrico says. “While these foods were important, the Kumeyaay were also masters of the bays and oceans – they were maritime peoples thousands of years before arrival of the Spaniards.”
For 30 years, Carrico has been researching the role of the ocean and bays in Kumeyaay culture. Relying on archaeological, anthropological, and historical data, he will peel back more than 3,000 years of history to provide an image of the Kumeyaay that has been largely ignored.
The discussion will focus on techniques and methods used by the Kumeyaay to procure a large variety of fish, shellfish, and other maritime food sources. Also considered are the types of boats and canoes used, and the importance of the water in Kumeyaay oral tradition, with emphasis on Point Loma and La Playa.
Carrico grew up in San Diego County, served in the U.S. Army, and has been lecturer for the Department of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University some 20 years. He holds an M.A., and B.A. degrees in history and anthropology.
Noted author to multiple professional journals, Carrico is also writer of the Images of America series book titled, “Ramona, California.” His works include “San Diego’s Ghosts and Hauntings,” and “History of the Wineries of San Diego County.” At the lecture on March 15, he will be on hand to sign copies of his recently re-issued, award-winning book, “Strangers in a Stolen Land,” a vivid history of the Indians of San Diego County.