#peachesforlife

1) At Wishtoyo I made an abalone necklace. It took almost 3 hours to finally get it finished, but it was totally worth it because its beautiful and it will be a souvenir of the village forever. I loved the time making it, from peeling the bark from the branch, to sanding down the abalone shell. I’m looking forward to keeping it for a very long time and remembering the Chumash People and the time I spent at the village. ❤

2) What stuck with me the most is when all of the elders had referred us to the future generation, the future leaders. Its true, it made me think of how much we can change the future. With our youth and determination, we can change how things are today, for the better. Like bringing the artifacts in the museums home to where they belong. We will grow up to make a difference because we are the future generation and the future leaders of the Indigenous People.

3) I loved the whole entire time at WIshtoyo. I loved making the necklace, seeing the beautiful view from the beach, swimming, sitting around the fire and telling stories, singing, dancing, bonding, and even though the aps had a lot of ants, its still cool and a great experience sleeping in them. My absolutely favorite cultural experience of the trip would have to be making the necklace. Learning the new skill and how their people strip bark compared to how we do up north was amazing. ❤ ❤