A Telling Tradition

Earth Day was celebrated by many Americans yesterday. But for Native Americans, who maintain contact with their long and rich cultural heritage, every day is Earth Day.

Their heritage, communicated from generation to generation--principally via storytelling by elders--concerns itself with the relationship between humans and nature. This weekend in Newbury Park, the annual California Indian Storytelling Gathering will provide local families of all ethnic backgrounds an opportunity to learn about this rich historical and narrative heritage.

“Our storytelling allows a history lesson to take place about the environment. The stories are about the land we live on and [efforts] to stop its degradation. You shouldn’t become alienated from your Mother [the land],” explains Tharon Weighill, a Chumash elder from Santa Barbara, who is one of this weekend’s participants.

At 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, the gatherings will begin with a blessing from Charlie Cooke, a hereditary chief of the Chumash tribe. He’s a founding member and president of the decade-old Friends of the Satwiwa organization, which is co-sponsoring the event with the National Park Service.

Native American storytellers from tribes all over the state will be featured on these daylong programs, which will include a series of panel discussions on the role of storytelling in the modern world.

Georgiana Sanchez, a member of the Chumash/Tohono-O’Odham tribe and a teacher of Native American literature at Cal State University Long Beach, will be a panelist. In her view, these stories have a special connection to everyday life because they’re “about the sun and moon and stars, about how people got fire [and] about the animals--which are really stories about ourselves.”

Another feature of the gatherings will be musical performances by an intertribal group, the Bird Singers. And there will be performances by the Dolphin Dancers, the Tongva Dancers and the Cupa Dancers. Native American foods and craft items will also be on sale.

An intertribal Shinny Match, a game that has elements of soccer and lacrosse, will take place each day at 2:30 p.m. This is the first time a Chumash team has publicly competed against a team from another California tribe. The traditional objective of the game is not to win but to exhibit a balance of skill and sportsmanship.

BE THERE

California Indian Storytelling Gathering, a state Sesquicentennial Event, Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., free; Native American Indian Cultural Center, 4126 Potrero Road, Newbury Park. (818) 597-9192 or (805) 375-1930.