Agata Popeda here, passing along an invitation to visit the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe’s exhibit Eme Ka Uko: To All My Relations, at the Monterey History and Art Museum at Stanton Center, an invitation open until January of next year. You’ll also have the chance to meet the curator of the show—Carla Munoz, the tribe’s liaison, and her sister Desiree Hettinger—enjoy live storytelling and meet the tribe members at 11am on Saturday, May 9 at Garland Ranch Regional Park.
The village of Rumsen was located at Carmel River, about five miles inland from San Carlos Mission in Carmel and the coast. It was a village of Costanoan Rumsen Carmel people, who were instrumental in the construction of the Carmel Mission, but in 1964 were forcefully relocated to settle miles further south.
According to the U.S. government, this tribe had ceased to exist years ago. But people such as Munoz and Hettinger, known as Ohlone Sisters, have a different story to tell, marking the presence of a Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe community in Pomona. Today, the tribe has more than 2,000 members, they say.
This exhibit documents the history and culture of the tribe with a series of photos and videos that show tribal regalia and other clothing, customs, dances and traditional ways of doing things, such as making a tule boat, a traditional boat members of the tribe used to navigate in the wetlands of Carmel River. Basket weaving was also an important and practical activity. The show educates the public on the history of the Ohlone ancestral lands in this region, the tribe’s contribution to the building and maintenance of the Carmel Mission and its cultural practices.
During the park event, Munoz and Hettinger will share stories about how the Natives lived. Ohlone Sisters are known for the prayer songs they perform wherever the tribe is invited with their educational program, combining storytelling with cultural performances.
There is still evidence of the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe habitation sites at Garland Park where the event takes place. Sometimes, the tribe is referred to as Monterey’s First People.
The exhibit and event provide opportunities for the public to understand the people that were here before us—and still are—and learn the history of the land.