Culture Camp 2010 a HOT Success!

The San Diego American Indian Health Center's 7th Annual Culture Camp brought 25 youth participants and Youth Center staff all around San Diego County in three days of exploration, learning, and exhilarating activity. Despite record levels of heat, participants had enormous amounts of bonding time to create joyous, lasting memories.

On Day 1, we learned how to silk screen from Elvis Hauser, artist and owner of Skins Gear Native Owned Silk Screening. Participants learned how to silk screen bandanas, tote bags and pillow cases. While waiting to silk screen, participants custom painted their own hats and shoes. After silk screening and lunch at Chipotle, participants went to Solid Rock gym in Old Town for indoor rock climbing. Before the rock climbing lesson, participants discussed how certain outdoor rock structures are sacred to tribes and how it's important to respect these sites, such as De-ek Wadapush (Cave Rock) in Nevada for the Washoe, Tsé Bitʼaʼí (Shiprock) in New Mexico for the Navajo, and Mato Tipila (Devil's Tower) in Wyoming for the Lakota. Pictures from Day 1 can be found here.

On Day 2, we went "hiking" on Junipero Serra Trail at Mission Trails Regional Park (pictured above). Participants went off the Trail to view Kumeyaay grinding rocks and Mission Dam, built by the Kumeyaay in 1813 to bring water to Mission San Diego de Alcalá. The Visitors Center also treated participants to a free movie about the Park. After lunch at Souplantation, participants stayed in East County to go cosmic bowling at Parkway Bowl in El Cajon. Pictures from Day 2 can be found here.

Water defined Day 3, when we spent the whole day at Mission Bay. First, participants learned how to kayak, a word that comes from the Inuit qajaq (ᖃᔭᖅ in Inuktitut), meaning "hunter's boat." Participants took kayaking out of its original context of hunting in the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic, and instead leisurely meandered around the beautiful waters of Mission Bay. After two hours of kayaking, participants played in the Bay and ate Subway on the beach. We then learned how to make a drum from instructor Steve Garcia. Pictures from Day 3 can be found here.