The Aquarium of the Pacific is spending its weekend honoring the first caretakers of the ocean and sea at its 18th annual Moompetam American Indian Festival on Sept. 17 and 18.
The event will teach families about the cultural importance the ocean represents for the Tongva, Chumash, Acjachemen, Costanoan, Luiseno and Kumeyaay tribes. Moompetam means “people of the ocean,” and is derived from the Tongva tribe’s word for saltwater.
A small group of tribes that were among the first to settle along the coast of California in what is now known as Long Beach—Tongva, Chumash and Acjachemen tribes—worked with the aquarium almost 20 years ago to organize the first festival.
Longtime educator and Indigenous California storyteller, Jacque Nunez, called the festival “a commitment to integrity and honor” from the aquarium. She and her husband have been traveling across California for the past 30 years to teach families about their culture.
“If we can share knowledge of who we are, that’s where the respect begins,” Nunez said. “It’s very important we continue this for our families, our tribes, our elders who did so much for our community.”
Nunez belongs to the Acjachemen tribe and has been involved with the Moompetam Festival since its inception in 2004.
Nunez said the “creme de la creme” of educators will be leading a variety of activities, including cultural songs, dances and basket weaving. They will also teach participants about the various inventions and artifacts of the coastal tribes, items of adornment and the history of California Indigenous tribes.
Children will also be led in Native American songs, one of Nunez’s favorite parts of the festival. She emphasized the importance of allowing children to have a hands-on educational experience that’s also fun.
“When a child is able to touch and feel an object, they remember the moment, they remember the activity …,” Nunez said. “To know you’re not just speaking to deaf ears, but you’re speaking to people who have the heart to listen and the soul to remember.”
Each year the tribes nominate an individual or organization for the Heritage Award for outstanding community service. This year the tribes selected Cindi Alvitre, a member of the Tongva tribe and educator at Cal State Long Beach.
Alvitre is also the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act coordinator and served as the first woman chair of the Gabrieleno/Tongva Tribal Council.
The award ceremony will take place on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in the Honda Pacific Visions Theater.
Nunez is herself a past recipient of the Heritage Award from 2016. This year, she will help present the award to Alvitre.
“I can’t think of many other places in Southern California who have this kind of partnership,” Nunez said. “That we’ve continued this for 18 years really shows the commitment to everyone wanting to keep this education alive and … hopefully, be the template for other organizations to do the same.”
The Moompetam Festival will be held at the Aquarium of the Pacific at 100 Aquarium Way on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry is included with a general admission ticket, or free for aquarium members and children under three years old. Advanced registration is required to attend. Purchase tickets at https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/visit/tickets.
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