Tom-Kav has layers of how this land has been desecrated. First, the land was stolen away from the caretaking of the Luiseno people and sold to the highest bidder. The land has had foreign produce groves built upon it that suck up the water from the indigenous plants that need it the most. The business getting the fruit upon this sacred site is bought and sold while migrante farm workers with long migration journeys come here and are exploited for their labor. Now Palomar college decided to desecrated the land by bulldozing on the same day they knew the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians were filing a temporary restraining order in court. They bulldozed at 6:30 that morning with tribal citizens running in front of bulldozers to protect their ancestors. They called for supporters to come, and within 24 hours a delegation of 11 people came including myself came to support human rights.
This site was also very important to other tribes’ trade routes. When I spoke with PJ he gave me a run down of the trade history of this land sharing with me that possible stones from down south in Mexico could be here, and remnants have been found as far north from Bishop, CA. He went into the history of Interstate 15, and discussing how many Native Americans traveled this route before the stone cold concrete pavement. PJ has been a Native American Monitor for Sacred Sites and Cultural protection for over ten years.
Palomar College is knowingly desecrating a sacred site, while it feeds its lies of a road that must be built to “educate” this county. In the past two days, Tom-Kav has lived up to its name of being a gathering place. People are educating each other right here about Tom-Kav, Sogorea Te, relationships, life, and plants. This isn’t Palomar College; this is the Indigenous Peoples College, where I have had many teachers, with some of the teachers not even being visible. Best part its Tuition free, no heavy books, and open enrollment. Feel free to step up to the sacred fire and pull up a chair to learn.