During summer’s last extremely hot, dry, fire-filled days, we especially savor water. We frequently hear the phrase “Water is Life.” In this week’s News from Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, Sean Milanovich (Cahuilla, Agua Caliente Band) tells about his upcoming special online presentation for the Learning Center on Monday, Sept, 14, 2020, when he’ll explore the deep cultural meanings of water. And Elder Ernest Siva (Cahuilla/Serrano), Learning Center president, shares a story about water in his name.
Kavishmal basket with water design (Riverside Metropolitan Museum).
Pal Tingaypish!
Sexhki, a place of rejuvenation for the sick, sore, and tired (historic postcard circa 1910).
By Sean Milanovich
To the Indigenous people, water is significant and sacred. The Creator long ago gave the people water to take care of themselves. We should not take water for granted. Water sustains all life, including people, plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms. Water can be used as medicine to heal our bodies, minds, hearts, and spirit. The Creator instructed the people how to use water.
Jacupin (Kupa Hot Springs), photo courtesy of Sean Milanovich.
Sacred Places
Since the beginning of time, Indigenous peoples used water to travel, to access power, to heal, and sustain life. In Southern California, the people settled around sources of water, using the water as an instrument as medicine and care for one another.
Places like the Pacific Ocean, Colorado River, Santa Ana River, Pechanga (Luiseño), Sexhki (Cahuilla, Palm Springs), Mara (Serrano, Mojave Desert), and Jacupin (Cupeño, Kupa) are held as sacred places by the first peoples who settled there and continue to maintain a connection there.
Jim and Matilda Pine at the Oasis of Mara (photo courtesy of Sean Milanovich).
Healing
The Indigenous people for generations passed this Indigenous ecological knowledge down from clan to clan, family to family, grandmother to granddaughter, and father to son. This knowledge is not lost but continues to awaken Indigenous communities, especially the youth as they look toward their community elders and cultural practitioners for help and guidance. Water is a powerful resource that can be used to help our communities and bring back our Indigenous teachings and identity.
Invitation to Join Us:
Pal Tingaypish! Water is Medicine!
Colorado River on the Chemehuevi Reservation.
DETAILS: To the Indigenous people, water is significant and sacred. Join Dorothy Ramon Learning Center and Sean Milanovich (Cahuilla, Agua Caliente Band) in exploring this powerful resource and how it can be used to heal.
September 14, 2020, 6 pm California time. Free! Donations welcome.
To join the online discussion, please register for Pal Tingaypish! via Zoom:
About the presenter
Sean Milanovich is an Indigenous family man and a member of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Southern California. He’s a PhD Candidate in Native American history at the University of California, Riverside. Sean Milanovich engages with his community by serving as Vice President of the Native American Land Conservancy, Secretary of the Native Land Trust Council, and President of the Wicahpi Koyaka Tiospaye. His interests lie in Indigenous ecological knowledge, getting out on the landscape to embrace the gifts of the Creator, and sharing a laugh and song with his community members.
Ernest Siva: Water in a Name
Help Us Grow
Oak at Joshua Tree National Park
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Pat Murkland, Editor. Sept. 9, 2020
Upcoming Online Events
1. Pal Tingaypish! Water is Medicine! Sign up via zoom
2. Gardening for Dynamic Balance: The Seasons of a Native Woman’s Garden
Sept. 21, 2020, 6 pm California time online via zoom
(Co-Sponsored by Rivers and Lands Conservancy) Native American Culture Bearer Kat High shares how gardens offer deeper meanings along with gifts of traditional food and medicines. Donations welcome. Sign up via zoom
3. The Desert is our Mother
Sept. 28, 2020, 6 pm, California time online via zoom
Take a poetic journey with poet Ruth Nolan and her beautiful photography. Explore the desert’s immense powers for healing and transformation. Donations welcome.
Sign up via zoom
Dorothy Ramon Learning Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that saves and shares Southern California Native American cultures, languages, history, and traditional arts. Join us at dorothyramon.org and Dorothy Ramon Learning Center on Facebook.