In 2017 Indigenous Regeneration was birthed.
Our first 6-acre educational garden, Mata'Yuum was birtrhed on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation. She served as a space to teach organic farming methods, Kumeyaay ethnobotany, eco-building techniques, music, “primitive” skills, arts and culture and was a 2spirit LGBTQ safe space. Over 5 years IRG transformed the abandoned, overgrown property into a gathering space....a Mata'Yuum! Thank you to our amazing sponsors who helped us raise 93k to birth Mata'Yuum. Thank you First Nations Development Institute, Sycuan Tribe, San Pasqual Tribe, Patagonia, USDA, SDGE, The Ecology Center, Home Depot and Lowes for making this project possible.
On June 22-23rd, 2019, Indigenous ReGeneration in partnership with Indian Health Council and the San Pasqual Environmental Department, hosted the very first Kumeyaay Cosmology Campout at Mata'Yuum! We held an intimate two day community gathering and camp-out with home cooked food, star-gazing via telescopes & storytelling with Michael Connolly, music by fire with Paul Cannon and Melissa Villalobos (aka Little Wolf), tent camping (limited), Sunday morning prayer by fire with Raymond Belardes, morning yoga with Angelina Renteria, basket weaving with Martha Rodriguez, plant walks with Richard Bugbee, Indigenous relay race by IHC, kids crafts and more!
On April 6th 2019, Indigenous Regeneration hosted the 1st UNITE THE TRIBE - San Pasqual Earth Day Benefit Concert on The San Pasqual Indian Reservation In Valley Center, Ca.
We celebrated with a ribbon cutting with Vice Chairman Justin QuisQuis for the newly installed Elders medicine trail and constructed wetland that Indigenous Regeneration, the San Pasqual Tribal Environmental Department and NRCS have created to help purify our Reservation's storm drain water before it makes its way to our oceans. All of the wetland plants are traditional plants for basket weaving, boat making, jewelry making, and much more.
Voices from our community speaking about what food sovereignty means to us. Video featuring IRG President Christina Alvarado and Co-founder Lacey Boyer Cannon.
A preview of Paradise Valley Farm and how it’s impacted the community. Featuring @carollikesplants @laceycannon @christinealvarado9 Nick Alvarado // Bird Song by @the_yumans // Video by @leia_vita and @carollikesplants
The 'First Gathering' was a beautiful celebration full of love, ceremony, community and delicious pizza from our new wood burning pizza oven. Thank you to First Nations Development Institute for supporting Indigenous Regeneration's vision for the San Pasqual Reservation to develop the Mata'Yuum Garden Project.
A message for Thanksgiving to consider.
This project supports the work of Bird Singer Chris Alvarado, San Pasqual, Waipuk Clan and amplifies the work already created through his master's program at SDSU, where he lectures. Chris’s documentation and creation of a language learning software allows anyone to sign up for free to access Kumeyaay Bird Songs, their phonetic breakdown, and to learn the story behind the song. In addition to the Bird Song project, this funding also supports the creation of a video series documenting Kumeyaay elder knowledge and storytelling (coming out 2022).