Photo: Kwaaymii Point in the El Centro Office, by Carrie Sahagun, BLM, Wikimedia
Synopsis: If you have ever hiked at Kwaaymii Point in the Laguna Mountains, you may have read the signs that tell of the Kwaaymii people that lived there, and near that point, entered the desert on their yearly migrations. That is how I got introduced to the book Just Before Sunset by Lora C. Cline, which shares the story and knowledge of the Kwaaymii as told by Tom Lucas, who, according to the book, was his band’s last descendant and the last who could pass on its traditional knowledge. In reading the book, it became clear to me that far from being a biography or ethnographic study, Just Before Sunset is a continuation of an oral history: What the elders handed down to Tom, he retold in this book. It is but one piece of the puzzle, or the ‘aaskay (olla), as one of my teachers would put it, providing valuable fragments of cultural heritage. The parallels between the knowledge, stories, and ‘Iipay words found in this book prove that the Kwaaymii are not gone, but their legacy is carried on by today’s many vibrant groups of Kumeyaay people. Pily kupiihaaws. ‘Enyaach meputtk, yaaypch heyul, ‘ehpuull ‘eyall ‘ekwaas, ‘esnyaaw kuphaall ‘ehwaatt. Heyaay, hellyaa peyii ‘Iipay matetaylly kunychewaypvech kewaakm naa kuphaall wemuullch. Wemuull nyanetewaattch, hekwiinlly pehaallch nyaapum weyullps matetay nechan, hiichurkm masaym naamh. Peyaa wiich kenaaps Tom Lucas, ‘Iipay Kwaaymii. Puuch uumall “’Enyaach Wehap Hemir” wiich chuuhiim puy ‘Iipay ‘aaknach, iillyuw, ‘uuchuch nyaamat nurvu akenaas.
Author Vincent McCarthy
Heyally ‘enyaach matetay ‘enyaak “Laguna” pily wiich chuuhiim ‘aas. Peyap ‘emaay, matsay nyawihch ‘Ehaa Silly ‘Enyaak ‘eyaakm ewupm. Kupilly puy weraaw; ‘eyaak ‘emat kwenyurvi nyaweraawm, ‘emaay matetayvelly stikm heyuls. ‘Emat ‘ehini “’Emat Kwaaymii (Kwaaymii Point)” wiich chuuhiim ‘enyewaa kwenuwvu ‘epechhaakwiich stikm ‘uuyuk ‘amps. ‘Emat puu haakayk uumall tuuyuuw Kwaaymiivu kenaaps. Wiiches heyaay Kwaaymiivech matetayvi nyechewayps “wiipuk uun’yaw” akechewich matsaym nyanaach. Nyemach wiis Tom Lucas Kwaaymii kunya’way weyuu. ‘Enyaach nya’ewuuwch nyemich ‘uuyaawhlly ‘ar. ‘Iiwaarm ‘emat ‘ehini, “Kwaaymii ‘Uunyaa (Kwaaymii Trail)” wiich chuuhiim puum ‘aams. Puy, wiich kenaaps, matekun kwa’maay ‘Emat ‘Ehwiiw wiich chuuhiis, ‘ehwiiw stikch tenyeway puknaach. ‘Ehwiiw pup ‘ehemayhlly ‘ar, pes ‘ewii hemir, ‘ewaa ‘iipay kupkwilly wehap tewaam ‘ehaps. ‘Ewaa peyii uumall ‘ehmiiym vendeerr, ‘ehiinkm ‘eyaaws. Siny puy kutarchachvu ‘iis, “’Enyaach ‘emat peyaa ‘enurhlly ‘ars.” “’Ih,” wiis, “muuyaaw, ‘iikwich ‘ehin peyii kunyewaayp—nyuk wellich, heyaay—’enychewaa kwa’hinvi emaat uumall ‘enychewiich, puuch uumall ‘ehin nyewiches. ‘Iikwich puu ‘ich wiich chuuhiia?” Pa’wiich stikm uumallvu hemay tewam, kutarchach ‘iikwich kwa’hinvu akekwiis kurak puu ‘ich wiich chuuhii. Nyaapum, “Tom Lucaschu?” ‘enyaach ‘akekwiis. “Haa! Nyipches!” wiis sinyvech. “’Uuhayi! Kumna, uumall peyaa puu ewiches.” Nyaapum uumallvu nyapekuws. Uumallvech ‘ehwatt nyilly, ‘Iipay kurak ehwall eyiiwvi uumalls. ‘Enyewaa nya’epaach ‘eleerr kupilly hewak pekwilly hemir ‘echaps. ‘Equllh umaaw, ‘uuchuch ‘ehmiiym ‘ukuwaay nyewich. ‘Enurs ‘Iipay kurak ‘ewuuwvech Tom Lucas weyuu, nyawihch puu chehich kwa’han Tomusches. Uumall peyii, Lora Cline uumall, puuch stikm mat kenaaps, ‘iipay shiimull nyewich ‘ehmiiym. Kwaaymiivech maay nyechewayp, ma’wip nyechewayp, mu’yuuch ‘esuw, ‘ewaa, tehiilly wechaawch, peyaa kenaaps. ‘Iipay ‘uuchuch achuupayp, ‘uuch suunaarr, mu’yuuch mat uchechuutt kenaapches. Nyawihch ‘aaknach meyaay ‘iipay heyaay kwathemiich akenaavu winys. ‘Iipay marway uumall “’Enyaach Wehap Hemir” kwewupch uchewaypch wip metaawar, ‘uuchuch ‘ehmiiym Tomus ‘emaayk kenaaph umaaw puknaach. Wiiches puuch iillyuw kenaapvi nyii ‘iipatth umaaw. Pes peyii Tomus ewiivu, nyii emaally waayphlly warh umaaw. Kwathemiich wipvu apekuwhlly wars. Uumallvi pa’wiich kenaaps, Tomus hekwall Kwaaymii nya’way hekwanypches, matwaam tuunnak kwa’tay ‘ehin, tuunnak nyemhemuk hemukm. Hekwanyp hemir, ‘iipay ‘ehmiiych henoch shaawattp, puknaach puuch ‘ehinch paam. Nyahemiim, ‘iipay kwahetmiivech ‘uuchuch netuu-urpvu winy tetmaches. ‘Uuchuch puu kechenapvu, Tomus uumall peyii wechams. Peyaa Tomus ‘iipay ‘aaknaches, ‘iipay nurches. Kwachemuuyuuw ‘ehin ‘enyewichvech ‘ehinch wiis, ‘Epenyaaych nyanekemichech nyaapum ‘Iipayvech ‘aaskay uuhwaq perewiis. Wiis, ‘emat, shiimull nyaamat ‘aaskay stikm nyewiches, nyawihch nyaamatvu nya-aayaykm, ‘aaskaych nyinyuyk newatth. Uumall peyaach ‘aaskay puu ‘eyall ‘ehin. ‘Uuchuch ‘ehmiiym wiivech ‘Iipay marway uchewaypvu perewiis. Nyawihch ‘uuchuch wehay nyemach winys, ‘emat ‘ehini yiph umaaw. ‘Uuchuch nyaamat Kwaaymii ‘emaayk, ‘eyay wellich ‘iis, nyii kumyum ‘entuu-urph ‘emaawh. Pes pup muuyaawhlly marvek, uumall peyaa mewuuwhlly mar.
