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Return of the Kumeyaay Creator Unveiled at San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus

  • CNNCTS
  • 13 minutes ago
  • 4 min read

The San Diego State University and local community recently convened at the Imperial Valley Campus for the unveiling of Return of the Kumeyaay Creator, the fourth installation of the Living Land Acknowledgement Sculpture Series. Continue reading to learn more!


SDSU faculty and staff, artist Johnny Bear Contreras, and Kumeyaay bird singers stand with new sculpture outside of the Imperial Valley campus library.

Written by Vanessa Hernandez


On Thursday January 22, 2026, students, staff, faculty, and community members gathered in front of the library at the San Diego State University (SDSU) Imperial Valley Campus for the sculpture unveiling of the second rendition of Return of the Kumeyaay Creator, or ‘Emaay ‘Ehaa umpow in Kumeyaay. This sculpture is the fourth installment in the series “Living Land Acknowledgments”, though the first of the series to be unveiled at the Imperial Valley Campus. The previous three sculptures, Stargazer, Return of the Kumeyaay Creator, and People of the Sun, live at the main SDSU campus. All of the unveiled sculptures were designed by Kumeyaay artist Johnny Bear Contreras. Contreras is a sculptor and culture bearer who translates his peoples’ stories into beautiful installations such as in the Living Land Acknowledgement series.


The Living Land Acknowledgement series was born from a push for the campus community to go beyond the SDSU land acknowledgement. SDSU adopted their Land Acknowledgement in 2019, composed by Kumeyaay community member Mike Conolly Miskwish. The sculpture series began in 2023 and has since become a multiyear project with several collaborators throughout the years including the Native Resource Center (NRC), SDSU Office of the Tribal Liaison, Lecturer Stuart Voytilla and the SDSU Story Lab, Native American Student Alliance (NASA), the Collaborative of Native Nations for Climate Transformation and Stewardship (CNNCTS), artist Johnny Bear Contreras (Kumeyaay), Mike Conolly Miskwish (Kumeyaay), and several Native and Indigenous students at SDSU.


Bird singers stand in front of a crowd singing. Dancers stand facing the singers.

As the Imperial Valley community gathered in front of the library, attendees could view the sculpture on two large screens on either side of the stage area. On a remarkably beautiful and sunny day, the unveiling opened with an introduction by NRC Director Chris Medellin and a reading of the SDSU Land Acknowledgement. SDSU Tribal Liaison Jacob Alvarado Waipuk then took to the podium to share the importance of the project and his experiences as an Indigenous student, as those personal experiences reflect the benefits of engaging Native and Indigenous culture and perspectives in university education. Waipuk recounted the path SDSU has taken to bring Indigenous voices to the forefront of the campus community and how that work is continuing through this sculpture series. Specifically, he shared that the Kumeyaay being honored and acknowledged in this way brings the feeling of Eyay e’Hunn, meaning ‘my heart is good’.


Next, Waipuk invited fellow Kumeyaay bird singers to join him. In their opening remarks, bird singers Blue Eagle Vigil and Jamie LaBrake emphasized the power this project brings in uplifting the Kumeyaay and honoring the land on which SDSU resides. Vigil and LaBrake also spoke on the importance of education and looking to the youth and next generations as mentors. They gave a shoutout to high school students from San Pascual who were also in attendance, opening the door for them to envision a welcoming path into higher education. They then shared traditional songs as bird dancers from San Pascual stepped forward, blessing the space with their movements. Together, their prayers wove a sense of gratitude and unity among attendees. 



Dean of SDSU Imperial Valley Dr. Gina Nuñez thanked the bird singers for offering their songs for this unveiling ceremony, and noted that this sculpture stands to honor primarily Kumeyaay but also the Quechan, Cahuilla, and Cocopah peoples. SDSU Imperial Valley staff were elated to unveil the sculpture that would now be a permanent reminder to honor the peoples that this piece represents, as well as continuously acknowledge the land on which we reside. Dr. Nuñez and Dr. Henry Villegas, Dean of Student Affairs at SDSU Imperial Valley, emphasized their commitment to celebrating the various cultures and identities of students they serve and the significance of Return of the Kumeyaay Creator positioned in front of the library for all to see when walking around campus.


Imperial Valley Associated Students representative Brandon Moreno shared with the audience what the Living Land Acknowledgement sculpture means to the students. He remarked that education is not limited to just textbooks, but it is also about understanding, connecting, and learning from the first peoples of the land. It was concluded that the Living Land Acknowledgement sculptures present an opportunity to do just that–for those to deepen their awareness and bridge a connection to those on whose land we reside and learn.


Johnny Bear Contreras, the sculptor of Return of the Kumeyaay Creator, shared that the meaning of the sculpture lies in the title itself. Contreras affirmed that this is the critical path that Indigenous peoples have been on, and now it continues to be essential that this path is brought into education. He shared that his work is inherently emotional, such that each sculpture communicates the strength, resilience, and beauty of the Kumeyaay since time immemorial and for generations to come.


The unveiling concluded with lunch and a closer look at Return of the Kumeyaay Creator. Attendees observed the sculpture's details, read the attached plaque, and took photos with the sculpture. Viewers can scan the plaque’s QR code in person or follow this link https://storylab.sdsu.edu/kumeyaay-creator-iv to learn more. 


Five people stand smiling around the Return of the Kumeyaay Creator sculpture.



Learn more about the Living Land Acknowledgment Series at https://nrc.sdsu.edu/programs/living-land-acknowledgement?nav=2. 



SDSU Land Acknowledgment:

We stand upon a land that carries the footsteps of millennia of Kumeyaay people. They are a people whose traditional lifeways intertwine with a worldview of earth and sky in a community of living beings. This land is part of a relationship that has nourished, healed, protected and embraced the Kumeyaay people to the present day. It is part of a world view founded in the harmony of the cycles of the sky and balance in the forces of life. For the Kumeyaay, red and black represent the balance of those forces that provide for harmony within our bodies as well as the world around us. 


As students, faculty, staff and alumni of San Diego State University we acknowledge this legacy from the Kumeyaay. We promote this balance in life as we pursue our goals of knowledge and understanding. We find inspiration in the Kumeyaay spirit to open our minds and hearts. It is the legacy of the red and black. It is the land of the Kumeyaay. 


Eyay e’Hunn My heart is good. 


Learn more about the Collaborative for Native Nations for Climate Transformation and Stewardship (CNNCTS) at cnncts.org.

 
 
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