Moompetam American Indian Festival

The Aquarium of the Pacific invites you to its twenty-first annual Moompetam American Indian 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 festival celebrates Indigenous California maritime cultures, including Tongva, Acjachemen, Chumash, Costanoan, Kumeyaay, and Luiseño. This celebration features traditional cultural craft demonstrations, storytelling, music, and dance, and an award ceremony.