Strengthening Bonds: Our Presence at the Moompetam Festival

Every year, Coastal Band members join Tongva, Acjachemen, Costanoan, Luiseño, and Kumeyaay tribes at the Moompetam Gathering of the Salt Water People Native American festival held at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. The festival features traditional music, dance, storytelling, cultural craft demonstrations, educational programs, and an award ceremony.

When we gather at Moompetam, the "People of the Ocean" festival at the Aquarium of the Pacific, we bring more than our crafts and traditions—we bring our living culture that connects us to our ancestors and coastal neighbors. This annual gathering allows us to reaffirm ancient relationships with the Tongva, Acjachemen, Luiseño, and Kumeyaay peoples. Though our languages and specific practices differ, our shared connection to the Pacific binds us together in ways that predate European arrival.

For our youth, Moompetam creates vital connections with Indigenous peers from other communities, fostering collaborations that will continue for generations. When festival visitors engage with our living traditions, they leave understanding that we are not historical figures but thriving communities continuing to adapt and protect our heritage.

The relationships we nurture at Moompetam extend beyond the festival through collaborative cultural projects, environmental activism, and mutual support. In this way, Moompetam represents both our ancestral gatherings and our modern alliances—a testament to the enduring strength of California's coastal indigenous peoples working together to face contemporary challenges while honoring our shared past.