Mata’yuum dedication event

“Kumeyaay people are visible here:” USD community members celebrate new name

Celina Tebor / Managing Editor / The USD Vista

As the sun set on Monday evening, the University of San Diego celebrated the renaming of its Missions Crossroads to Mata’yuum Crossroads.

Mata’yuum is a word of the Kumeyaay tribe, which means gathering place. According to the event’s description, the renaming “honors USD’s location in the traditional territory of the Kumeyaay Nation and further supports its ongoing tribal initiatives to create a more inclusive campus.”

The event took place on Columbus Day, which some have rejected, instead calling it Indigenous People’s Day in opposition to the glorification of Christopher Columbus and his arrival to the Americas. Within the crowd of over a hundred people, which the cul-de-sac could barely contain, there were over a dozen individuals wearing shirts branded with “Indigenous People’s Day.” 

This renaming comes along with those of Serra Hall to Saints Tekakwitha and Serra Hall and Plaza Mayor and Minor to Cardinal Van Thuận Plaza and Mother Teresa Plaza.

All buildings with the names Missions were renamed to Valley, like the dorms Valley A and B (formerly Missions A and B) and the Main Parking Structure (formerly the Missions Parking Structure). 

The Mata’yuum Crossroads Dedication began with an introduction by Persephone Lewis, a professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies and also the Tribal Liaison for USD. She explained the purpose of the event and also acknowledged Indigenous People’s Day. 

In her five years at USD, Lewis has seen improvement in attitudes toward indigenous people.

“When I first started, nobody knew who the Kumeyaay were,” Lewis said. “Nobody thought about the indigenous people that were here before. And I think now, a lot of the students know Kumeyaay. They know how to say it, they’ve heard the land acknowledgment in their classes. I think that’s the biggest difference, is that Kumeyaay people are visible here.”

Next, Associated Student Government President Marion Chavarria Rivera spoke. She started by acknowledging that USD is on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kumeyaay Nation. 

She explained that it is important to note USD’s Catholic identity, but the renaming is a great example of fundamental growth on campus.

“These advances do not happen overnight,” Rivera said. “Great things can happen when we stop speaking for others and elevate them and let them speak their truth.”

USD President James T. Harris, III, D.Ed., spoke next. He spoke of the importance to come together during the polarizing times in the nation and referenced. Pope Francis’ 2015 speech apologizing to indigenous people for the grave sins committed against them. At the end of his speech, despite some of the somber topics he discussed, he finished on a high note.

“Let’s have a celebration,” Harris said.

It’s customary in some indigenous cultures to start events with bird singers, who sing a form of music traditional to indigenous people of the Southwest United States. A group from the Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians performed, shaking rattles filled with native palm seeds to create a rhythm. Afterward, the community members in attendance formed a long line to shake hands with the bird singers.

Mike Connolly Miskwish from the Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians spoke next, outlining the history of the Missions system and oppression of indigenous people over time.

He discussed the effects of assimilation and the loss of language and culture that the Missions system brought.

“The Missions had a different way of teaching,” Miskwish said. “It was a way of brutality.”

The next speaker was Councilman Stan Rodriguez, of the Ippay Nation of Santa Ysabel. He began by speaking in an indigenous language, and anyone in attendance who didn’t speak the language would have only understood one word — mata’yuum. 

“To us, this is our holy land,” Rodriguez said. “The oceans, mountains, the valleys. Everything has a name. And it’s in our creation story.”

Despite the continued encroachment that indigenous people faced, Rodriguez stressed the importance of coming and growing together, in difference and diversity.

“We may come from different religious beliefs,” Rodriguez said. “If we continue to fight, we will burn our house down.” 

The final speaker was Gabriel Fallis, the Chairman of USD’s American Indian Indigenous Organization (AISO). He urged the audience to remember the millions of indigenous lives lost.

“That is something we must remember,” Fallis said. “Every step we take, and everywhere we go. We are guests here.”

He finished with a resounding and piercing line.

“Remember, but never forget, but we are still here,” Fallis said. “Nice try Columbus, but we’re still standing here.”

Lewis finished off the speaking portion of the event by thanking the guests and elders who traveled to celebrate the renaming, and honored Harris, Miskwish, and Rodriguez with native blankets, which symbolize warmth, even in the coldest of times.

After the speakers concluded, the audience celebrated with a variety of indigenous crafts, games, and food. Energy was high and members of the indigenous community and USD’s student body connected and conversed.

Junior Nathan Chang was one of the USD students that attended the ceremony. He attended it for extra credit for his Ethnic Studies class.

“I think it was actually really cool that they decided to do it on Columbus Day, instead of picking out a random day and not making it as memorable,” Chang said. “I thought the significance of it was pretty cool. I did not expect this many people to be here.”

Lewis still thinks more steps can be taken to support indigenous students at USD.

She wants more Native students on campus, and has been working with admissions to make it happen. She said the university admitted its highest number of native students this year: 43. This is almost double the number that USD normally admits.

Lewis also wants a space on campus for Native students, citing the elder or community offices that many Canadian universities have. One other thing she hopes for is a new staff position dedicated to student support, to develop a retention program and engage communities with outreach.

Where Missions Crossroads once stood is now Mata’yuum Crossroads. A gathering place for USD community members, native or not. The next incoming first years may never know the name “Missions” once adorned USD’s campus, and as evidenced by the large turnout at the celebration, some Toreros believe that’s a step forward.