Earth Day Gets Native American Spin at San Onofre Park

In the shadow of an ancient Indian burial ground at San Onofre State Beach, a modern band of Native Americans gathered Sunday to honor Earth Day and celebrate their heritage.

Children shook tambourines and clanged cymbals. Elders thumped drums and danced in Acjachemen Nation garb.  Others told stories, gave basket demonstrations, sold crafts or led guided walks around San Mateo campground, where the native village of Panhe once flourished.

The purpose of Saturday's festival was twofold: Help protect Mother Earth and raise awareness of the Juaneno/Acjachemen Nation's  as an Indian tribe.

“We want you to see how wonderful the Native Americans are, especially the Acjachemen,” said tribe member Kogee Thomas, who traces the group's Orange and San Diego county roots back thousands of years.  “We are trying to grow with the world around us.”

Along the perimeter of the campground, not far from the festival's environmental and cultural booths, lies an ancient burial ground. Juaneno Chief Clarence Lobo was laid to rest there in 1985.

Ties to the past are important, said John Windes, another Acjachemen Nation member. “We all span seven generations," he said. "We all have been held by our great-grandparents before they died, as one day we will all hold our grandchildren before our own death.”

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