Pechanga Indian Reservation - March 9, 2009

On our last field trip in my Advanced Digital Art class, we had the privilege of visiting the Pechanga Indian Reservation in Temecula. Our guide for the outing, Mr. Willie Pink, was extremely nice and extremely helpful in teaching our group all about the cultural background and preservation efforts of the Luiseno band of Native Americans.

I arrived a bit early to the Pechanga gas station (where the class was suppose to meet up), and was able to use the restroom there before we left on a shuttle bus to tour the reservation. I was extremely glad I did this, because port-o-potties are something I try to avoid at all possibilities!

Our first stop on our tour of the reservation was the Great Oak. This coastal oak was AMAZING! At over 100 feet high, and around 1,000+ years old, this oak is a magnificent tree! Mr. Pink told us of the history of the tree (how flooding had brought in more silt to the valley, raising the ground level to the tree's branches) and how the tree was used for boy scout camp outs. The tree was absolutely beautiful though. No matter what angle you looked at it from, it truly had it's own personality. Looking up into the branches, you could almost feel the tree looking back at you. The most beautiful part of the whole experience was just standing there, looking up at its huge branches, and seeing the sun glint through its leaves.






After spending about 30 minutes at the Great Oak, Mr. Pink decided it was time to move on to our next destination. We piled back onto the shuttle and drove over to an area of an old Luiseno Village. The first thing we saw was this cool rock with petroglyphs on it.



Next, we were able to look at the village. Though the original structures no longer exist, Mr. Pink explained to us a summer program the reserve has for the young Luiseno members, where they build their own structures, learn about the land their ancestors lived off of, and help to preserve their ancient culture by learning both language and customs passed down by generations. Mr. Pink explained how even the mentors are learning much about the work it takes to run and maintain a Luiseno Village. Many of the structures there do not last the winter, because they require constant care (the care it would receive if someone lived in the huts around the clock), but because the program is only a summer program, the structures are normally inhabitable after being vacant half of the year. The structures were extremely neat looking, and I could not resist getting an up close picture of some of the materials used.













In the same area, Mr. Pink showed us some of the native plants used in traditional basket weaving (such as the juncus Mr. Pink is holding in the above picture), along with some petroglyphs. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed in myself for not checking my camera settings along the trip, because between the stop at the Great Oak, to the Luiseno Village area, I think I accidentally changed something, because a lot of my pictures came out over exposed. I was so angry at myself when I got home and discovered this!!! Luckily though, I was able to use Photoshop to fix a lot of them.




After finishing up at the Luiseno Village, we piled back on the shuttle one more time, and headed to a nursery on the reservation. The nursery was pretty small, but is completely dedicated to growing natural plants for the reserve. There we found juncus, yucca, and oak seedlings just sprouting. There was also different types of willows being grown, which can be used in both basket weaving and hut making.




As the sun went down and the wind got cold, our field trip had come to an end. It was the first time I had ever been on the Pechanga reservation, and our guide, Willie Pink, did a wonderful job of showing us around and teaching us about the Luiseno culture. I feel very lucky to have been able to participate in this trip, and the Great Oak will always be a wonderful memory for the rest of my life!