Before There Were Borders: Celebrating Cahuilla Culture and Connection

Join us for the public launch of Wíy 'Ístam: Long Before There Were Walls, a new mural created through the World Design Capital San Diego–Tijuana initiative Before There Were Borders. The event will take place at the San Diego Central Library, on the traditional homelands of the Kumeyaay Nation. As we gather to celebrate the enduring cultural connections between the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians and Wilīya (Coyote Canyon), we also recognize and honor the Kumeyaay people, whose relationship with this land continues today.

The event will bring together community members, artists, educators, and cultural knowledge holders to celebrate the enduring connections between people, place, language, and history in what is now known as San Diego County.

About the Mural

Wíy 'Ístam: Long Before There Were Walls shares the story of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians and their ancestral connections to Wilīya (Coyote Canyon), homeland of several Cahuilla lineages known as the Wíy ’ístam.

Located northeast of the Los Coyotes Reservation, Wilīya has long been a place of gathering, sustenance, ceremony, and community. Although colonial displacement has transformed life across the region, the connection between Cahuilla people and this landscape remains unbroken.

The mural invites you to look beyond contemporary borders and consider a much deeper history—one measured not in decades, but in thousands of years of stewardship, knowledge, and relationship with the land.

A Community Blessing

The gathering will begin with a blessing offered by representatives of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians.

You will have the opportunity to hear traditional songs and learn directly from tribal representatives about the significance of Wilīya, the history of Coyote Canyon, and the continuing cultural connections that bind generations of Cahuilla people to these ancestral lands.

Your participation reminds us that this is not simply a story of the past—it is a living culture, carried forward today through language, family, ceremony, and community.

Yungaviwet, The California Condor

Featured prominently within the mural is the California Condor, one of North America's most iconic and endangered birds.

Learn the latest about California Condor recovery efforts and the importance of protecting biodiversity throughout Southern California.

Yungaviwet serves as a powerful symbol of resilience, renewal, and our shared responsibility to care for the lands and species that connect us.

Event Schedule

12:00-12:15 PM
Welcome and opening remarks

12:15–12:45PM
Blessing and traditional songs by members of the Cahuilla community.

12:45-1:15PM
Presentation, gift exhange, and mural activities.

Schedule subject to change.

Attend

This event is free and open to all.

Whether you are interested in Indigenous history, conservation, language revitalization, public art, or simply learning more about the place we call home, we welcome you to join us.

Please RSVP below

Help us spread the word

#BeforeThereWereBorders
@loscoyotestribe
#Cahuilla
#WorldDesignCapital2024
#SanDiegoCentralLibrary

This project is made possible by The Los Coyotes Gathering Committee and members of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians and support from the World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024, the City of San Diego, the San Diego Central Library, Media Arts Center San Diegoand Urban Interventions.

Many thanks to Andrew Pittman, Faith Morreo, and Rosy Aranda for the translations.

About Before There Were Borders

Before There Were Borders is a public art and storytelling initiative exploring the Indigenous histories, languages, and communities that have shaped the San Diego–Tijuana region for thousands of years.

Through murals, immersive media, and community partnerships, the project invites visitors to encounter the stories that existed long before contemporary borders and to recognize the living cultures that continue to shape our shared future.

Read more about the project here.