Editor’s note: Mati Waiya will open our Spring 2002 conference in Malibu, “Environmental Education: Coming to Our Senses,” with a ceremony of blessing, awakening our senses with song, story and dance. Mark your calendars for April 26-28, 2002. Don’t miss it!
“The Chumash people lived for centuries along the California coast between Malibu and San Luis Obispo and the Channel Islands, depending on the natural world for food, clothing and shelter. Their culture and values, therefore, developed a deep and abiding respect for all living things and was based on the indispensable need for conservation. Similarly, Chumash people understood the importance of teaching their children to recognize their own value, their importance to the tribe, and their integral part in the natural world around them.”
“Wishtoyo is a Native American organization that utilizes traditional Chumash cultural values and practices to foster environmental awareness. Wishtoyo is the Chumash word for rainbow and, like the native legend telling of the arrival of the first Chumash settlers in California on a rainbow bridge from Santa Cruz Island, Wishtoyo is a bridge, preserving the wisdom of the ancient Chumash culture and linking it to present day environmental issues. Chumash ceremonial leader and Dolphin Dancer Mati Waiya (Little Hawk) is the founder and guiding hand behind Wishtoyo.”
“Wishtoyo is a bridge between many points. The Rainbow Bridge connected Santa Cruz Island with the mainland in legend. Now it connects the Chumash to all other peoples, closing the gap between a 10,000 year-old culture and the "civilization" of today. But among the most important connections made by this invisible, yet indomitable bridge is the connection between our natural resources and our survival on this planet. No image is more emblematic of our dependence on preserving and protecting the wilderness than Wishtoyo and no speaker more eloquent in describing the possibilities before us than Mati Waiya.” (quoted from the Wishtoyo Foundation website)
Nancie Pike interviewed Mati Waiya of the Wishtoyo Foundation and this is what she found:
Mati Waiya is one of the leading representatives of the California Chumash tribes. To date, he has presented over 1,000 programs at State Parks, museums, schools and other organizations. Although he is firmly grounded in the ancient traditions of the Chumash culture, his eye is on the future and his hope is for those generations yet to come. Wishotyo, his non-profit foundation, has assisted environmental groups including Heal the Bay, Save Open Space, the Surfrider Foundation and Environment Now. In November 2000, Mati Waiya became the first Native American world-wide to hold the position of CoastKeeper. As Ventura CoastKeeper, he is the latest member of the California CoastKeeper alliance, which includes the San Diego BayKeeper, Orange County CoastKeeper, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper and the Santa Monica BayKeeper. His “aqua cop” responsibilities are to monitor water pollution, agricultural runoff and other threats to our oceans. He will also be creating a citizen water quality monitoring program that will test for pollutants which could cause health problems to farm workers in Ventura county. (This in addition to teaching children!)
Mati believes that “faith, trust and hope give us the freedom of life”. Most of the children whom he teaches are 3rd graders, ages eight to nine, who are taking California Indian Studies. At this time in their lives, Mati observes, “The children are still pure. Their innocence and vulnerability make it extremely important to relate to them at their level, not at an adult level.” He encourages youngsters to express themselves, and to know that their ideas are important. One of the techniques he uses to accomplish this is having them make masks using ochre paint and gourds. He instructs the children to “make what they feel they are, what they see.” He also enjoys working with youth at natural sites such as Nicholas Canyon Beach. “You can’t put Life in a book,” he insists. “We need to show children that Life has its role, too.”
At the center of Chumash tradition are the three laws: Limitation, Moderation and Compensation. Mati uses these principles to help children learn the reasons why we need to care for and protect the environment. The law of limitation teaches that our lives on earth are not forever. Living within our own limitations allows us to accept the limitation of natural resources and to use them wisely. Chumash practices of sustainable living are then given as an example. The second law is of moderation, which instructs us to take only what we need, leaving something for tomorrow. The third law, compensation, states that to live a good life we must be willing to give without expecting anything in return.
Through traditional storytelling and dance, Mati shares with the children the legends of his people. Each adventure has an environmental message that is woven seamlessly into the tale, making children aware that they can contribute to the future in a meaningful and positive way. Stories like the Hawk and the Sun recount a time when the Chumash were without sunlight and how it affected every living thing. Mati asks the children, “What do we need the sun for? What does it do?” At the end of the story we are told that the hawk returns to the Chumash people with the sun on its back, and where the sun has touched it, its feathers have turned red. The red tail hawk reminds us that what the sun does is give life to our planet. “So give thanks in the morning,” says Mati. “Give your mommy and daddy a hug, and be grateful, for each new day is a day of life.”
(For additional information on Mati Waiya and Wishtoyo contact: http://www.wishtoyo.org).
Nancie Pike is a writer, lecturer and historic restoration consultant. A former A.M.I. Montessori teacher, she has spent over 10 years working with museums, historical societies and educational groups to “preserve the past for future generations.” This experience naturally led her to her current involvement with AEOE and the environmental preservation movement.