Kumiai Community

The Kumiai community stretches across two countries, in Mexico they live in Baja California between eight municipalities : Juntas de Neji, Peña Blanca, Tanama, Aguaje de la Tuna, San José de Tecate and San Pablo in Tecate; and in San José de la Zorra in Ensenada. There are also family groups in non-indigenous towns in Valle de las Palmas, Testerazo, Porvenir, Primo Tapia and colonia Carranza in the municipalities of Tijuana, Tecate and Rosarito. 

The Kumiai are traditional hunter-gatherers, and although their nutrition is affected by outside influences, the surrounding natural area has the biggest impact on their diet. Many of their foods are related to traditional knowledge, such as consuming wild seeds; pine-nuts, acorns, prickly pear, mesquite, roasted mezcal, wild corn and yucca. 

Another very distinctive aspect of the community’s culture are their lively, energetic festivals such as the Kuri Kuri which does not have a particular spiritual or temporal significance but is filled with traditional singing and dancing. Around the Day of the Dead (early November), they clean the tombs, place flowers and light candles during the evening.