Tecolote Canyon: Baskets and Botany

By Roy Cook


October 13, 2007 from 9am to 4pm Tecolote Nature Center is celebrating this San Diego city park with the traditions of Kumeyaay Native Americans. The Baskets and Botany event offers tribal songs, basket weaving, informative displays, pottery, and sand painting. You can go on a bird walk, eat Indian fry bread, or learn to make an arrowhead and a dream catcher.

It may not have been a Friday but we sure knew it was the 13th of the month! Rain. It does rain in sunny California. Rain is always welcome even though it does make driving more hazardous and outside displays will get damp if not downright wet. In Tecolote Canyon Nature Preserve all activity was moved indoors or under tarp covers in the breezeway.

Jon Meza Cuero was invited by Marla Gilmore to sing Wildcat songs. We were able to present five singers for the noon presentation: Jon. Stan Rodriguez, Ben Nance, Henry Mendibles and Roy Cook. Jon has been singing the songs of the Tipai-Kumeyaay for over seventy years. For more on the Wildcat songs and Jon Meza Cuero or Bird songs in general go to: http://americanindiansource.com/wildcatpresents.html

Running Grunion, Abel Silva’s, is a delight for young and old. His lighthearted view of history and the humanity of the Tribal people of Southern California is the best kind of teaching-with a smile. Maybe we will see you at the next Tribal event.

Ah woo mah, mehan.