Various tribes in our region have maintained strong connections to the ocean for hundreds of years and into modern times. Learn more about Southern California’s native cultures at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s annual Native American festival, Moompetam: Gathering of the Salt Water People.
The fourteenth annual Moompetam festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 22-23, 2018. This event will feature traditional music, dance, storytelling, cultural craft demonstrations, and educational programs. Families will be able to participate in arts and crafts for all ages and other activities inspired by local indigenous maritime cultures. Native American artists will present cultural materials, such as basketry, items of adornment, and artifacts of daily life.
Moompetam (pronounced \’mohm peh tahm\), meaning "People of the Ocean,” is derived from the word for saltwater in the Tongva language. For the local, coastal, and island indigenous people of Southern California, the ocean has always been a sacred entity. The maritime native peoples that inhabited ocean waters for thousands of years, including the Tongva, Chumash, Acjachemen, Costanoan, Luiseno, and Kumeyaay, deeply respected
the ocean. The ocean environment is reflected in all aspects of their cultures.
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