Photo: Indigenous American, Spotted Tail, Mural outside Coronado School, San Diego, by Chris English, Wikimedia Commons
by Joanne Tawfilis, PhD, Fine Arts
The City of Oceanside awarded a Measure X grant at the end of 2023 to Art Miles as a means to encourage and facilitate mural images reflecting the diverse traditions, practices and histories of many residents and their generations. The grant’s purpose was also to build community unity and deter graffiti within the neighborhood, and to encourage pride, beautification, and prosperity. With gentrification, that could have been a tricky deal because many ethnic groups, religious groups, and individuals have been created and melded together over so many lines of descendance throughout the decades of time. Many original families have come and gone with racist laws (red lining) finally put to rest, allowing more freedom of choice to where they could choose their home and neighborhood. The Eastside neighborhood is one of the oldest in Oceanside and has seen many changes located next door and beyond Camp Pendleton.
The American Indian, or First Peoples, are a subject close to my heart. It is a subject I have given much thought to. I have also worked with and studied Native American history and worked with many tribes throughout the country. And I have often questioned how our government does not recognize all tribes, tribal nations and individuals. Instead, it has established specific and strict requirements on size, lineage, location, history and so much more, making it difficult to obtain recognition and the benefits that go with it. I say this because, throughout America’s history, the genocide of most tribal nations that lived here thousands of years before occurred.
For me, as the facilitating contractor of a Measure X initiative to create historic and traditional murals in several parks in Oceanside with and for residents, my goal was to try to encourage and ensure that local tribes would be included with their visual voices together with those residing there. In this very specific instance, the Luiseno tribe, led by Captain Mel Vernon, the Eastside neighborhood of Oceanside will reflect ,respect, and recognize the truths of those whose dwellings and traditions speak loudly throughout the Joe Balderrama Park, alongside the heavy population of residents of Mexican descent, as well as African Americans, Islanders, Asians, Samoans, and Filipinos.
The process involves calling upon the local community to come forth and contribute their ideas and thoughts about the design of murals. It started out with creating only two murals, but due to residents’ resounding voices, more that twenty-eight mural surfaces are now being designed and painted by local artists upon the Chavez Resource Center, the Recreation Center, and handball and basketball courts, as well. And thanks to funding by the Measure X program and the City of Oceanside, a transformation is in progress.
What a joyful experience! The Luiseno tribal member artists will design illustrations and mural images that will be painted in collaboration with local artists and muralists, on one of four gazebos and the four columns supporting them. They will certainly provide an amazing venue to showcase their special tribal arts, symbols, and traditions. Aland recognition and sage cleansing and blessing, which are critically important to Indigenous spirituality, will ensure that locals and visitors will enjoy and appreciate the original designs and symbols, as a major showpiece of the Luiseno’s love of nature and life lived long ago on the land near the sea of North County.
The project is expected to be finished by end of August. The beautiful artwork in progress for and by the people of the Eastside and their visual voices will be a living legacy and reflect a rich and meaningful past, now recognized by the Luiseno people and today’s residents for generations to follow.
