From right to left: Chris Manning, VP for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity; Jacob Alvarado Waipuk, tribal liaison, President Adela de la Torre; Johnny Bear Contreras, sculptor; James Frazee, VP for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer; Chris Medellin, Native Resource Center director; William Tong, Interim Provost; Stuart Voytilla, SDSU Story Lab faculty lead. (Courtesy: San Diego State University)
San Diego State University formally introduced the “Living Land Acknowledgment” sculpture series to the campus community Friday, Sept. 27 with a gathering and unveiling of the series’ third sculpture, “Return of the Kumeyaay Creator.”
The project supplements the university’s Kumeyaay Land Acknowledgment, which is traditionally recited at convocation, commencement and other major university events, and brings to life the formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as traditional stewards of the land the university now occupies.
For now, the series features three bold and unmistakable statues inspired by the Kumeyaay, and with plans for the next sculpture project to be brought to SDSU Imperial Valley. Each piece has an attached QR code that brings onlookers into an immersive, “living” extended reality lesson on the culture, customs or history of the Kumeyaay people.
Friday’s event began with a reading of the Land Acknowledgment by Stuart Voytilla, faculty lead of the SDSU Story Lab, in front of the series’ newest sculpture, located in Sickels Plaza.
Voytilla imagined the project as a way to bring the words of the Land Acknowledgment to life in the physical and virtual spaces, while bringing native artwork to more prominent places on campus.
“Our spoken Land Acknowledgment is an essential practice of gratitude to the Kumeyaay, but is it sufficient for a lasting, present awareness of the Kumeyaay culture and the history of this land?” Voytilla said.
“The Native Resource Center and the SDSU Story Lab explored ways to integrate storytelling, art, and immersive media technologies with our campus to develop an always-present Living Land Acknowledgment. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the Kumeyaay to transform space and spoken word into a physical and virtual immersive, interactive celebration of their culture,” Voytilla said.
Open the image full screen.Johnny Bear Contreras, the sculptor behind the Living Land Acknowledgment sculpture series at San Diego State University, working on a piece in his studio workshop (Courtesy: San Diego State University).
The Living Land Acknowledgment sculptures were designed by Kumeyaay artist Johnny Bear Contreras. Project organizers collaborated with students involved with the NRC to identify high-traffic areas where the artwork could share space with well-known landmarks.
“We have an incredible responsibility to educate others about the history of Native and Indigenous peoples, and to speak about the ongoing contributions of the Kumeyaay and other Native people to our campus. The Living Land Acknowledgment is a beautiful, artistic way of bringing people into that discussion, while also presenting the ethos of SDSU’s very sincere land acknowledgment statement into a format that is both engaging and educational,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre. “It’s another step in our ongoing commitment to partnership and collaboration with Native communities.”
The unveiling event coincided with California Native Day celebrations across the state, including at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. California Native Day has been celebrated on the fourth Friday of September since 1998 in recognition of Native communities indigenous to California.
Jacob Alvarado Waipuk, chair of tribal relations at SDSU and an SDSU alum, reminisced about his semester abroad at the University of British Columbia in Canada, where totem poles around campus celebrated the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. When it came time to imagine the Living Land Acknowledgment, he knew the profound impact the project could have on Native students.
“This project helps tell our stories, which we have kept alive since time immemorial. It’s a testament to our sustainability as humans. To recognize and honor that, and bring that recognition into a university setting, is important for native students developing a sense of belonging on campus,” Waipuk said.
Derrick Herrera, SDSU Associated Students’ vice president of external relations and member of the Kumeyaay and Luiseno communities, said “Return of the Kumeyaay Creator” represents the Kumeyaay philosophy, “In the beginning, the earth and all creatures of earth were one, sharing the sun.”
“The unveiling of this sculpture is not just a celebration of art; it is also a call to action. It invites us to reflect on our relationship with communities who have cultivated the land we stand on,” Herrera said.
About the art
“Stargazer”
Open the image full screen.The first sculpture of the Living Land Acknowledgment series at San Diego State University titled "Stargazer." (Courtesy: San Diego State University)
The first installation in the Living Land Acknowledgment was “Stargazer,” installed in March near the Koester Memorial Sundial in front of Hepner Hall. Its focal point is a man’s face angled up at the sky, perfectly positioned to do as its title suggests.
The man’s eyes are closed, expanding his field of vision beyond what is here and now, leaving nothing between him and the stars that have also been present since time immemorial, and will remain far beyond our lifetimes. The man’s state of mind, not in the past, present or future, but in a different place altogether, is an important element of the first piece of the series, according to Contreras.
Attached to “Stargazer” is a QR code that, when scanned, presents an immersive virtual performance of a Kumeyaay bird song by Blue Eagle Vigil and his daughter, Lovely Vigil. Bird songs are a rich and important component of storytelling and legacy keeping in the Kumeyaay culture.
“People of the Sun”
Open the image full screen.The second sculpture of the Living Land Acknowledgment series at San Diego State University titled "People of the Sun." (Courtesy: San Diego State University)
“People of the Sun” came next, about 100 yards away from “Stargazer.” The sculpture stands parallel to a statue of SDSU’s first president, Samuel T. Black, beneath the shade in the North Library Quad. There are two faces, a man and a woman, with delighted expressions emerging from blooming poppies. Their faces are suspended by the stem of the poppy, which grounds them to Mother Earth. The woman’s face is elevated higher than the man’s as an homage to the “life-givers,” Contreras said.
A scan of the second statue’s QR code will initiate an augmented reality experience featuring a recital of the Land Acknowledgment by its author, Mike Connolly Miskwish.
“Return of the Kumeyaay Creator”
Open the image full screen.The thirdsculpture of the Living Land Acknowledgment series at San Diego State University titled "Return of the Kumeyaay Creator." (Courtesy: San Diego State University)
“Return of the Kumeyaay Creator” is found in Sickels Plaza along Centennial Walkway, north of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. The piece represents the story of Maayhaay, the Creator God Spirit, who the Kumeyaay believe created the earth.
Its QR code takes viewers to a 360 video of Contreras discussing elements of the design, and the creation story that inspired it, from his studio workshop.
SDSU’s Living Land Acknowledgement is inspiring other campuses to reimagine their own land acknowledgments. According to Voytilla, several universities have been in contact for advice and to draw inspiration for similar projects.
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