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PRACTICES

THIS GRAIN BECAME EXTINCT AFTER KUMEYAAY PRACTICES WERE DISCONTINUED TRADITIONAL HARVEST PRACTICE

“In the coastal plains, a grain was grown that was described in Spanish accounts as being half the size of a wheat grain. This grain became extinct after the Kumeyaay management practices were discontinued.  The traditional harvest practice involved the burning of the fields after harvest and hand broadcast reseeding.”  

Miskwish, Michael Connolly. Kumeyaay: A History Textbook: A Curriculum for Kumeyaay History Classes. Vol. 1. El Cajon, CA: Sycuan Press, 2007.

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California Department of Parks and Recreation

INTERTWINED WITH THE NATURAL WORLD KUMEYAAY LAND PRACTICES FORMED THE BASIS OF FOREST REJUVENATION

“The Kumeyaay, as with most indigenous peoples, had a culture deeply intertwined with the natural world. Kumeyaay land practices had formed the basis of forest rejuvenation through fire, harvesting and planting.  The hydrology of the watershed was enhanced by traditional rock weirs. The fire mosaic sustained a varied ecosystem that enhanced the carrying capacity of the land and sustained over 30,000 people at its peak. As with many traditional practices, however, the stories of survival and adaptation oftentimes involved the abandonment of traditional practices.” 

Connolly Miskwish, Michael. “e’Muht Mohay (Love of the Land).” San Diego Natural History Museum, November 18, 2020. Accessed August 31, 2021.

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AND GEOMETRY WAS BORN FROM THE ANCIENT PRACTICES OF OBSERVING WHAT THE HEAVENLY BODIES DO

“In fact, mathematics and geometry were born from the ancient practices of observing the activities of the heavenly bodies. What they did was to proceed from hypothesis  — these were hypotheses — to speculate on the structure of the universe and to measure the movement of its stars.”

Yip, Wai-lim. Diffusion of Distances: Dialogues Between Chinese and Western Poetics. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993. p. 86.

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University of California Press

UNDERSTANDING OF DEEP LISTENING AND OF THE PRACTICES AND PROCESSES THAT LEAD TO CREATIVITY IS

“What, then, of my work do I hope will last? Well, what I'm most interested in is not specific pieces surviving, but the understanding of Deep Listening and of the practices and process that will lead to individual and collective creativity. That is what I would like to hand on.”

Oliveros, Pauline. "My "American Music": Soundscape, Politics, Technology, Community." American Music 25, no. 4 (Winter, 2007): 393. doi:10.2307/40071676. p. 400.

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JSTOR

REMINDS US THAT OUR SOCIAL NATURE AND CULTURAL PRACTICES ARE PRODUCTS OF EVOLUTION CONSTRAINED BY

“Neuroscience reminds us that our social nature and cultural practices, including the ones we call morality, are products of evolution, constrained by our biological heritage.”

Churchland, Patricia. "Deliver Us from Evil: How Biology, Not Religion, Made Humans Moral." New Scientist, September 28, 2019. p. 9

New Scientist

OUR CAPACITY FOR LANGUAGE ALLOWS SOCIAL PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS TO DEVELOP IN SUBTLE WAYS

“Before harvesting a plant or killing an animal, a person would ask permission, offer a prayer of thanksgiving, and tell their intention for use of the plant or animal. By patiently observing and experimenting over thousands of years, the Kumeyaay shared the land with the native creatures in a sustainable way, taking only as much of a resource as was needed, leaving some for other animals.”

Connolly Miskwish, Michael, Stan Rodriguez, and Martha Rodriguez. Kumeyaay Heritage and Conservation (HC) Project Learning Landscapes Educational Curriculum. p. 48. Laguna Resource Services, INC., Kumeyaay Diegueño Land Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. August 1, 2016. Accessed July 2020. 

California Department of Parks and Recreation