SAN DIEGO — A replica of a traditional Kumeyaay dwelling can now be seen at Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá.
Located southeast of the fountain in the central parking lot, the “ewaa” was constructed as an Eagle Scout project by Athaniel Khrischard Almera, a 17-year-old member of the parish.
An ewaa is a dome-shaped hut that was typically constructed out of willow branches and tules by the Kumeyaay for the winter months.
“Their main purpose is usually to shelter at least one or two families,” Almera explained, adding that they were also used for storage and tribal gatherings.
Almera, who attends Kearny High School, completed his project under the guidance of Deacon Andy Orosco of the Diocese of San Bernardino, who is a Kumeyaay elder from the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, and with the assistance of many volunteers, including fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 53 and their parents.
In November of last year, Almera reached out to Janet Bartel, volunteer museum facilitator and docent coordinator at Mission San Diego, in preparation for the project. Almera and his team of volunteers worked on the project between April 10 and May 18, spending a total of eight days to construct the ewaa.
About $1,600 in museum funds were used to cover the cost of materials and to provide meals for the team of volunteers taking part in the project.
“Athaniel worked diligently on the Eagle Scout project,” said Bartel, “and we at the Mission are extremely grateful and appreciative of his dedication to this significant addition to our museum displays.”
Bartel told The Southern Cross that Almera’s isn’t the first ewaa to grace the Mission grounds.
“We previously had had ewaas built by a Native American using willow and tule,” she said. “They were much smaller, but were a popular display.”
Because the Kumeyaay were nomadic, ewaas made with those traditional materials were never designed for permanence. Unsurprisingly, the ewaas created for display at Mission San Diego with the same materials would be damaged by years of exposure to the elements and would need to be rebuilt.
At Deacon Orosco’s suggestion, Almera did something different, using atypical materials to create something that is projected to last 10 years.
Rebar, tied together with wire, provides his ewaa’s basic shape, and the entire thing is covered with artificial thatch roofing. Wooden supports inside help to ensure its stability.
The finished structure is about 18 feet in diameter and about 8 feet tall, Almera said.
It has two entrances, as well as a hole in the roof that would have allowed smoke from a Kumeyaay cooking fire to exit the dwelling.
Almera said that one of the most enjoyable aspects of his project was the opportunity to learn about the Kumeyaay. Before commencing the project, he said, he knew from history textbooks about how colonization led to “disastrous times” for Native Americans, but he hadn’t known much about their way of life.
He hopes that his ewaa will help Mission visitors to appreciate Kumeyaay culture and help to ensure that “they’re not forgotten and rewritten.”
“Athaniel’s work ethic has been an inspiration to me,” said Bartel. “His research on building an ewaa; his PowerPoint presentation to Father Peter (McGuine, the pastor), Deacon Andy, his Scout master, and to me; his dedication to a task that never wavered, despite a few glitches, attest to this fine young man, who represents the future of the Catholic Church.”
