PALOMAR MOUNTAIN -- By giving three asteroids American Indian names, astronomers at the Palomar Observatory and tribal leaders said Tuesday they hope to spark new interest in an ancient local culture.

The three asteroids discovered with the 200-inch telescope atop Palomar Mountain were named after figures in the Luiseno tribe's story of creation: Tukmit, Tomaiyowit and Kwiila.

"As we try to teach our culture to our kids, this is very significant to us," said Chris Devers, chairman of the Pauma Band of Mission Indians, whose reservation is a few miles down the mountain in Pauma Valley.

Devers said the Luisenos, the original inhabitants of Palomar Mountain and Pauma Valley, believed that Tukmit, or Father Sky, was made from nothingness and together with Tomaiyowit, Earth Mother, bore the first people.

Kwiila, or black oak, was one of the first people in their creation story, he said.

Photographs of the three asteroids with their names will go on display at the observatory.

Devers said he hopes the naming of the three asteroids will help people, including the tribe's children, become interested in learning about Luiseno culture and astronomy.

The Luiseno people were named after the Mission of San Luis Rey by the Spanish, the first Europeans who settled in the area. The name includes the Rincon, La Jolla, Pauma and Pechanga bands, which inhabited the area near the San Luis Rey River for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived.

The three asteroids were discovered during a survey of the night sky from 1987 to 1991 by the observatory's telescope operator, Jean Mueller.

As the discoverer, Mueller had the honor of naming the asteroids. She said that while working on the Palomar telescope, she had developed an interest in Luiseno culture and thought it would be appropriate to name the asteroids in that language.

In 2003, she approached Pauma's tribal leaders with the idea, and they agreed.

"I wanted to recognize their history in a tangible fashion, and naming the asteroids for them seemed like a fitting thing to do," Mueller said.

Asteroids are small celestial bodies that orbit the sun, much like planets, said Scott Kardel, a spokesman for Palomar Observatory. They help scientists figure out how the planets were formed and what they are made of, he said.

Mueller said naming the asteroids is a long and arduous process, overseen by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, an international organization.

"It just takes a long time to do things," she said.

Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.