The way it was

Young Chang

Nicolas Jaber learned on Saturday that Native American children (and

adults, for that matter) relied on sticks and stones for entertainment

because luxuries like Playstations didn’t exist.

They made toys called walnut dice out of walnut shells, tar and

abalone pieces. They competed to see who’d roll the highest numbers and

kept score with sticks.

Nicolas, who turns 8 today, made his own walnut dice at the Upper

Newport Bay Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center but stuffed the

half-shells with black molding clay instead of tar. He pressed down

pretty beads instead of broken abalone pieces and gave each surface a

number value.

Ranger Sue McIntire led the group of children and parents in the

morning of games, crafts and history lessons.

“We talked about the way Native Americans lived on the bay, the things

they needed to live, how they made homes out of reeds and willows, and

for hunting, how they needed to be quiet and cooperative,” McIntire said.

People of the Tongva Nation lived in the Upper Newport Bay 200 to 2000

years ago. They spread out all over Orange and Los Angeles counties, from

the San Gabriel mountains to Laguna Beach. The people later came to be

known as the Gabrielinos. Other Native-American tribes inhabited the area

up to 10,000 years ago.

They were careful not to pick every plant they wanted to eat,

6-year-old Eve Morris learned, because they had to leave some for the

animals.

To survive, the Indians also kept their minds active as everyone

participated in making music, art and being creative.

“Whether you’re a good artist or not, everybody did art,” McIntire

told her group.

The Native Americans also learned life skills from playing games.

One such game was meant to sharpen people’s hearing. The Native

Americans lived among rattlesnakes in the bay so it was crucial that they

learn where the rattling sounds came from.

Children on Saturday played a similar game in pairs. One was

blindfolded, the other shook a rattle. One child had to locate the rattle

by ear.

“I think there’s something intuitive about the way people lived off

the land that fascinates the kids,” McIntire said.

For most of the morning, children made crafts they later used for

play. Nicolas and his group of seven friends, visiting the center to

celebrate his birthday, decorated round “kicking sticks” with black

markers and kicked them around outside.

The Native Americans used to kick them for 25 miles at a time.

The boys then designed their own totems on flat stones.

“They are all projects that, no matter how you do it, it comes out

looking neat,” the ranger said.

Nicolas’ mother Rondi Jaber said she brought her son and his friends

to the Interpretive Center because the experience is more than just fun.

“We like to do something different, but also something that

encompasses a learning activity,” the Newport Beach parent said. “A

choice that the boys would experience something different than an average

birthday party.”

* Young Chang is the features and arts and entertainment writer. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4268 or by e-mail at o7

young.chang@latimes.comf7 .