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Tule Boats – A Native Californian Tradition
Tule Boats – A Native Californian Tradition
For generations, Native Californians have crafted boats with tule reeds, using them for transportation, navigation, and even whaling in the Pacific—long before European arrival. These boats are an integral part of the Kumeyaay and other Native communities' rich maritime traditions.
The Museum of Us is collaborating with community members to make a traditional Kumeyaay tule boat, a project led by Dr. Stan Rodriguez, (Kumeyaay-Iipay, Santa Ysabel) Director of Kumeyaay Community College.
The tule boat will be showcased in the new exhibition opening in Fall 2025, Race: Power, Resistance & Change, as an example of the cultural revitalization of Kumeyaay peoples, the first peoples of the land on which the Museum of Us is located.
Tule — also called asuk in Kumeyaay, Hardstem Bulrush or Schoenoplectus acutus — is a native grass that grows throughout California and North America. It's a tall, sturdy grass that is naturally found in freshwater areas. It provides for pollinators such as bats, caterpillars, and butterflies, and provides protection against wind and water damage.
The boatmaking process, including harvesting the tule, drying the plant materials, and assembling the boat, is a communal activity closely tied to seasonal cycles.
Dr. Rodriguez describes making tule boats as more than just a boat. Tule boats are vessels that create pathways to so many other areas of indigenous revitalization including traditional fishing, traditional net making, traditional salt gathering, traditional food drying, and spiritual connection to the ocean. The project honors the ongoing preservation and indigenous revitalization of Kumeyaay cultural heritage, underscoring the importance of continuity and community in these traditions.
A Seasonal & Cyclical Tradition
In October 2024, Museum staff joined Dr. Rodriguez and students from Kumeyaay Community College to harvest the tule reeds from the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve in Irvine, California.
The San Joaquin Marsh Reserve is a remnant of once extensive wetlands that once covered much of Orange County’s flood plain. It is also one of 39 reserves in University of California’s Natural Reserve System (NRS), the largest university-operated network of natural reserves in the world.
After a few months of drying, the next steps include weaving the tule reeds to form the foundation of the boat.
In January 2025, the community was invited to view some of the boatmaking process and learn about the Kumeyaay tradition and history of building and using tule boats at an all-day public demonstration at the Museum of Us.
Using the tule harvested in October 2024, Dr. Rodriguez crafted the tule boat with help from Museum staff and students from Kumeyaay Community College. The free demonstration was held in the Museum's Education Center and was open to the public to watch and learn about the process.
Race: Power, Resistance & Change Opens in Fall 2025
Through visitor surveys, interviews, and email feedback, we’ve heard the call for an exhibit that engages with the contemporary dialogue surrounding race and better represents our diverse, multinational community.
The upcoming exhibition, Race: Power, Resistance & Change, engages with regionally focused stories of resistance and transformation that have shaped our understandings of race today.
Stay tuned for more updates and programs around the new exhibition by subscribing to our email list or joining our membership community.
The Museum of Us recognizes that it sits on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation. The Museum extends its respect and gratitude to the Kumeyaay peoples who have lived here for millennia. They continue to care for and maintain connection to this ancestral homeland.
Resources
- About Tule (Hardstem Bulrush)- California Native Plant Society
- Kumeyaay Community College
- San Joaquin Marsh Reserve
- Whose Coast Are You Surfing In San Diego? - A Look at the Indigenous History of one of California’s Iconic Surf Zones
Supporters
This project was supported, in part, by a grant from the Museums Advancing Racial Justice initiative.
The Museum of Us recognizes that it sits on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation. The Museum extends its respect and gratitude to the Kumeyaay peoples who have lived here for millennia.
The Museum is open daily, Monday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1350 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
