Old Kumeyaay Photos
Photo: Francis Parker, 1873 (San Diego Historical Society)
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KUMEYAAY HISTORICAL Pictures Photos

TECATE CALIF 1873 — KUMEYAAY INDIANS late 1800s 1880 Southern California Native American Kumeyaay Indians in aboriginal tribal regalias — dressed for a feast dance — four indigenous Tiipay Tipai Indians men wearing aboriginal feather headdresses with male Native American Indian full-body painting covering chests, faces, legs and arms, ancient Indian face painting designs. Two Tipai Tiipay Indians women seated wearing calico skirts and plaid shawls with southwest Indian female tribal face painted designs, North American tribal body painting art designs.

FAMOUS PHOTO: Francis Parker photographed Tecate area California Indigenous Native American Indians one of the earliest known photographs vintage 1870s historical photographic image.

The Kumiai HISTORY of KUMEYAAY Indian peoples dates back more than 12,000 years in the greater San Diego County, northern Baja California US-Mexico border area.

Prior to European immigration in the mid 1700s, the thriving Kumeyaay Nation had developed its unique California indigenous culture over THOUSANDS of years, including their Yuman languages and vast knowledge and uses of the wilderness CA land, indigenous plants, stone age tools and Native American medicinal plants and herbs.

This old antique California Indian historical photograph was taken in 1880, late 1800s, well AFTER the Spanish immigration, the Spanish Missions and Franciscan California Missions periods, and the CALIFORNIA GENOCIDE that decimated the Kumeyaay race and its culture.

The picture represents only a mere glimpse into the Pre-Contact glory of the Indigenous peoples of Southern California unique, ageless Native American culture of the Yuman Indian family of California Indians in the greater San Diego County area and northern Mexico, Baja California Indians.

Because photographic film cameras hardly existed until the 1860s, this old 1880 California Indian photograph is likely one of the earliest photographic records made of Kumeyaay Indians in their Native American cultural regalias. Even so, cloth fabric would not have been available to the Kumeyaay until after 1769 through European trade.

As a working photographer, the webmaster always wonders the circumstances under about how the photograph was made. The scene looks indoors, professionally lighted, and the subjects reasonably posed, but I wish I knew about the people in this photo and why the photograph was made....

For more information on Southern California and norther Baja California, Mexico, ageless aboriginal society, please see the Kumeyaay Books.

Please see the KUMEYAAY.INFO CALIFORNIA INDIAN RESEARCH DEPARTMENT.

ADDITIONAL Museum Sections on Tribal Designs and Indian Face Designs:

Weaponry
INDIGENOUS CALIFORNIA INDIAN TRIBAL DESIGNS
, Native American weaponry, pictures old and modern traditional arts and crafts, including information about Native California Indian primitive weaponry and aboriginal tribal designs of the Cocopah Cucapa Indians.


CALIFORNIA INDIAN FACE PAINT DESIGN
-- The detailed illustrations and writing in this section are parts of Paul Campbell's newest book (unreleased), EARTH PIGMENTS AND PAINT: MEANING AND TECHNOLOGY, and will include all facets of Native American pigments and paint, including physical, social, spiritual — in great detail — and will reveal how the Indians turned yellow pigment red, and about how the Natives made blue from white gypsum and black charcoal, including many other ancient recipes for aboriginal paint and body designs.

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