The Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation are Indigenous peoples of California and the original inhabitants of the lands that later became colonised and known as Orange County, as well as parts of San Diego, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties. For thousands of years, the Acjachemen lived in harmony with the natural world, viewing the lands and ocean as sacred and inseparable from their own survival.
In recent years, since the designation of Dana Point as a Whale Heritage Area, members of the Acjachemen Nation have joined the Dana Point Festival of Whales, with a spiritual overseer performing a blessing and ‘welcoming of the whales’ ceremony to launch the festival.
Helpful links
Apply to become a Wildlife Heritage Area
