[CINC] FROM SHORE TO SEA LECTURE SEPT 12 & 13

[Shauna Bingham]

September 4, 2008

For Immediate Release

Yvonne Menard, Channel Islands National Park (805) 658-5725

Shauna Bingham, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (805) 382-6151 
#102


Recalling the Return to Limuw---A Chumash Tomol Crosses the Channel

 

The September "From Shore to Sea" lectures will feature Alan Salazar 
discussing the importance of the /tomol/, a traditional plank canoe used 
historically by the Chumash for fishing and travel between the islands 
and mainland for trade. The /tomol/ connected Chumash communities and 
continues to be significant to their culture.

 

In September 2001, the Chumash resumed their /tomol/ crossings by 
paddling to the island of /Limuw/ (Santa Cruz Island) from Channel 
Island Harbor. Salazar has participated in seven crossings as part of an 
annual celebration of their culture. He will share how these journeys 
are an affirmation of Chumash tradition, which contemporary Chumash 
regard as a gift to their ancestors and children.

 

Salazar is a Chumash storyteller, a traditional Chumash paddler, a 
practitioner of Chumash spiritual ceremonies, and his village's fast 
runner. He has dedicated most of his life to learning about Native 
American cultures and sharing that knowledge with the young and old, 
including over 100 presentations in California schools. His family 
survived the mission period and is one of a small number of families 
that can trace both Chumash and Tataviam ancestry. Like many people with 
California Indian ancestry, his family's story is one of pride in their 
Native American heritage. He is also one of many Native Americans that 
consider themselves a person of the Earth. As a person of the Earth he 
considers himself no better than hawk, bear, lizard, trees, or rocks. 
Salazar was taught by many elders that to be humble and respectful are 
the two most important traits to have, so with humility he remarks that 
he is "a storyteller, paddler, spiritual person and, for an old guy, 
pretty fast."

Blue whales are an endangered species that frequent the Santa Barbara 
Channel during the summer months to feed on krill, their primary food 
source. Blue whales in the Eastern Pacific are the only known recovering 
blue whale population in the world with a size estimated at nearly 2000 
animals, which is about 10% of the world population. Although the 
population has grown since protection began in 1966, additional 
conservation efforts are needed to ensure the population's continued 
recovery is not impeded by sources of human caused mortality such as 
ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.

 

Mr. Collins has been working in the Vertebrate Zoology Department at the 
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History since 1973.  He earned his B.S 
and M.A in Zoology from University of California, Santa Barbara. 
Michelle Berman is the Associate Curator of the Department of Vertebrate 
Zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. She received her 
B.S. from Colorado State University and her M.A. from the University of 
Central Florida.

 

The "From Shore to Sea" lecture series is jointly sponsored by Channel 
Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary with 
generous support from Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The purpose of the 
series is to further the understanding of research on the Channel 
Islands and surrounding waters. The lectures will occur at 7:00 p.m. on 
Tuesday, August 12, 2008, at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor 
Way in the Santa Barbara Harbor and Wednesday, August 13, 2008, at the 
Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 
Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and open to 
the public.

 

The "From Shore to Sea" lecture series is jointly sponsored by Channel 
Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary with 
generous support from Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The purpose of the 
series is to further the understanding of research on the Channel 
Islands and surrounding waters. The lectures will occur at 7:00 p.m. on 
Tuesday, September 9, 2008, at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor 
Way in the Santa Barbara Harbor and Wednesday, September 10, 2008, at 
the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 
1901 Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and 
open to the public.

 

This publication is available on line at: 
www.nps.gov/chis/parknews/newsreleases.htm 
<http://www.nps.gov/chis/parknews/newsreleases.htm>

-- 
Shauna Bingham 
Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
3600 S. Harbor Blvd. #111
Oxnard, CA 93035
Shauna.Bingham at noaa.gov
(805) 382-6149 ext. 102
Fax (805) 382-9791
http://channelislands.noaa.gov

´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..

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