School Rededicates Site to the Chumash

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Chatsworth Hills Academy, about 380 students, faculty, alumni and parents participated in a land rededication ceremony Friday hosted by the Chumash.

Dressed in hawk-feather skirts and deer-hide loincloths, two tribe members demonstrated traditional dances, related folklore and described the history behind several Chumash artifacts and instruments. The land where the middle school sits on Rinaldi Street was formerly populated by ancestors of the Native American tribe, they said.

“Chumash land will always be Chumash land. It will always belong to our ancestors, no matter who lives there now,” said Mati Waiya, president of Wishtoyo, a nonprofit organization based in Newbury Park that promotes cultural and environmental awareness.

“I just tried to share with the kids that we need to work together to protect the land for families who might occupy it after us,” Waiya said.

The rededication kicked off a weekend tribute to the school, which includes a 5K run in Chatsworth today.

“The tribe members impressed upon the kids ways of knowing and respecting nature,” Principal Laura Bell said. “It was a good way for boys and girls to appreciate the land and wildlife as well.”