Explore the artisanal and culinary showcase by the Yuman community at Los Pinos. Find more information on the event details here.
The "Baja California in Los Pinos" festival, taking place at the Cultural Complex this weekend, is a significant event for the Yuman indigenous communities of Baja California. This cultural celebration honours and highlights the heritage, traditions, and contributions of the Yuman peoples, aligning with Mexico's recent designation of the Year of the Indigenous Woman.
The festival offers a platform for showcasing Yuman art, music, dances, and traditional practices, promoting cultural pride and revitalization. Four languages of the Yuman peoples—Kiliwa, Cucapá, Paipai, and Kumiai—are present at the festival, with a missing language yet to be included.
One of the highlights of the festival is the calabaceado dance, originating from El Rosario, Baja California. This dance, inspired by the tail of the cow and the bull given in the rodeo arena, involves a lot of jumping, with participants wearing boots, vests, and Texan hats. The festival will feature a presentation of the calabaceado dance tomorrow.
Alma Delia Ábrego Ceballos, the state's Secretary of Culture, emphasized the cultural wealth of the Yuman peoples, specifically their gastronomy and millennial traditions. She recommended visiting the festival to taste dishes such as rabbit, birria, ceviche, tacos al pastor, coffee, and atole de bellota.
The festival also includes a photographic exhibition titled "The Never Baptized" by Roberto Córdova Leyva, which discusses the history of the conquest in the north of Mexico. A new Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Yuman Peoples is set to be launched next year, containing a complete compendium of the Yuman languages.
Recognition and visibility for the traditional authorities of the Yuman peoples is not easy to achieve, as mentioned by Alma Delia Ábrego Ceballos. However, the government has committed to honouring, recognizing, and leaving a printed record of the memory of these traditional authorities.
The festival serves as a form of indigenous activism and recognition, underscoring the empowerment of indigenous women. It acknowledges their importance in sustaining and transmitting cultural heritage and their vital role in social and political spheres in Mexico.
By attending the "Baja California in Los Pinos" festival, visitors not only get to experience the rich cultural legacy of the Yuman peoples but also contribute to the preservation and recognition of their traditions and contributions. The festival runs from 10 am to 5 pm on August 3 and is free for all.
festival goers can explore diverse cultural aspects, such as the States' food-and-drink, travel to experience traditional Yuman dances like the calabaceado, and immerse themselves in cultural-travel by learning about the Yuman language history, including the upcoming Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visitors will also acknowledge the significant role of indigenous women in shaping the lifestyle and heritage of the Yuman peoples.
