Learn About and Celebrate our Maara’yam Neighbors

Transition Habitat Conservancy had the honor of participating in a partnership between the Garden ARt Project and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians (Maara’yam / Serrano People). They included Puma Canyon Ecological Reserve in the catalogue of ethnobotanical places by listing each culturally important plant in the Reserve, their uses, and their indigenous names.

” “The gARden” project consists of Augmented Reality sites for Adelanto, Joshua Tree, Jurupa Valley, Ontario, and San Bernardino, California, that engage viewers in learning about our local environment and Indigenous Communities. The project partners with Maara'yam (Serrano), also known as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, to activate public spaces with stories and images of plants with significant cultural meaning. Through this digital seed bank, community ties are strengthened for our shared future. 

The project honors and celebrates the ongoing stewardship of Indigenous communities, and seeks to facilitate community engagement that centers the primary source experiences, histories, and stories generated within Indigenous Communities.”   

The project allows viewers to read the descriptions in English and Spanish, as well as experience a guided virtual reality presentation, with a host to describe the plants to the audience. For those who can, come and experience this place for yourself in person!