LESSONS FROM ISLAND ELDERS

In 2019, the Conservancy’s education department developed a unique, immersive experience for Avalon School’s third and fifth graders to learn traditional ecological knowledge. To prepare, Conservancy staff first conducted a lesson on the how the Island has been managed from the time of the first Californians to the present day. The students were introduced to special guest instructors who would bring the practices of the Tongva, the Island's first peoples, to life. Tongvan descendant, Craig Torres, and Purépecha descendant, Abe Sanchez, spoke to the students and shared some of their ancestral practices.

Craig Torres is a captivating storyteller who shares the Tongva culture with groups young and old through work with schools, cultural and nature centers, museums, and city and state government agencies. The central theme of his message to the Catalina students was reciprocity. He reminded students that nature is not a separate thing from people. Torres taught the class that, in fact, there is no word for ‘nature’ in his language. Giving it a name implies it is separate from us; rather, we all have one mother Earth that provides for us who, in turn, we need to respect. The Nature, as he referred to it for the students, is the lifeblood of food, water, and shelter.

Torres explained the cultural importance of soapstone and how it was a main source of trade for the early inhabitants of Catalina Island. Soapstone was used to make bowls due its uniquely high talc content, which allows it to be heated and cooled without cracking. Though primarily used to make bowls, Torres reminded the students that it is important to generate little to no waste. Therefore, any parts of the soapstone rock not used to make bowls were utilized to create effigies, pendants or jewelry. The class then learned how to make their own soapstone pendants, to keep as a reminder of the lesson.

Abe Sanchez is a master basket weaver who teaches basketry at a variety of locations such as the Fullerton Arboretum and the Tree of Life Nursery. Sanchez explained to the students that even the most intricate baskets begin with a simple method of creating cordage, which can be used to make anything from an elaborate basket to fine fishing line to clothing. The students were surprised to learn that in the past, children their age learned the cordage methods and were responsible for creating baskets, clothes, fishing line, and other items for their families. After learning a simple form of cordage, the students used the cord they made to turn their soapstone pendants into a necklace.

These lessons on reciprocity provided the students with a window into the lives of early Californians and the importance of continuing to learn from their teachings today.