The Aquarium of the Pacific will host its seventeenth annual Moompetam American Indian Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 18-19, 2021. This event celebrates indigenous maritime cultures in California and includes traditional music, dance, storytelling, and cultural craft demonstrations.
The tribes participating include the Tongva, Chumash, Acjachemen, Costanoan, Luiseno, and Kumeyaay. American Indian artists will display and demonstrate making of cultural materials, such as basketry, items of adornment, and artifacts of daily life during the festival.
Moompetam (pronounced \’mohm peh tahm\), meaning “People of the Ocean,” is derived from the word for saltwater in the Tongva language. For the California indigenous coastal peoples, the ocean has always been a sacred entity. The ocean environment is reflected in all aspects of the cultures of the California coastal tribes, who have maintained strong connections to the ocean for hundreds of years and into modern times.
On Sat., September 18, at 2:30 p.m., the Aquarium will also broadcast a live 20-minute virtual Facebook presentation from its Moompetam American Indian Festival: Costanoan Rumsen Dance with Tony Cerda & The Humaya Singers.
This will be broadcast live from the Honda Pacific Visions Theater. To view the live virtual presentation, please visit the festival webpage: aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/moompetam/
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, September 18-19, 2021, from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802
COST: Included with general admission: $36.95 per adult (ages 12+), $26.95 per child (ages 3-11), $33.95 per senior (ages 62+), and free for Aquarium members and children under age three
All festival elements are subject to change. Capacity is limited. Advance reservations are required. No walk ups. Safety is our top priority. Masks are required for everyone ages 2 and older. For the most current information, please visit aquariumofpacific.org/safety.
For more information, call (562) 590-3100 or visit aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/moompetam/
