Kumeyaay
/ˈkuːməjaːj/noun
A Native American people and their language, primarily in what is now southern California and northern Baja California.
Did you know?Kumeyaay is an English spelling of an Indigenous self-name, and its exact internal origin is not securely established in standard references, which is common for many Native ethnonyms preserved through oral tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-colonial period
Kumeyaay
Kumeyaay
“The people themselves; an Indigenous ethnonym used by the community”
16th-18th centuries
Spanish
Diegueño
“A colonial Spanish label applied to Kumeyaay-related groups, based on San Diego mission naming”
19th-20th centuries
English
Kumeyaay
“An English transcription and revival of the Indigenous name for the people and language”
Modern English
English
Kumeyaay
“The accepted English name for the Indigenous nation and language in southern California and northern Baja California”