Telling tribal tales

Marisa O’Neil

Newport Coast Elementary School students danced with coyotes on

Friday.

Members of the Tongva Indian tribe, also known as the Gabrielinos,

visited the third- and fourth-grade classes to share their culture,

music and dance with the students. A special coyote dance proved the

biggest hit.

“The coyote represents the trickster,” explained Andrew Guiding

Young Cloud Morales. “He plays tricks on people. He is our clown.”

Dressed in tribal regalia, Morales put a full coyote skin over his

back and danced around the room as fellow tribe members Cynthia

Guthrie and Matthew Sky Eagle Sings from His Heart Lovio sang. As the

coyote hopped and spun around the room, the students giggled with

delight, especially when he teased them by lifting his leg a couple

times.

“I liked the coyote dance,” 9-year-old Will Lyle said after the

program. “That was cool.”

Students saw -- up close and personal -- rabbit skins, shells and

musical instruments the tribe members brought. Hunter Molnar, 10,

even got to give their drum a couple taps.

The Tongva visit came at a perfect time for third-grade teacher

Stacy Rickman’s class.

“We are just finishing up studying [the tribe] so this tied in

perfectly,” she said. “When they were dancing, the kids turned to me

and said: ‘This is so cool.’”

Tongva land used to spread from the San Bernardino Mountains to

the sea and from Malibu south through Newport Beach, Morales told the

students. Because they lived near the coast, their jewelry includes

necklaces made from seashells.

“Our ancestors were very lucky,” Lovio told them. “We had

beautiful land in the valley, the mountains and near the ocean.”

Lovio, Morales and Guthrie wore deerskins, rabbit fur and

turkey-feather headdresses.

“This is not a costume,” Lovio said. “This is what our ancestors

wore long ago. This was their three-piece suit.”

Members of their tribe have passed along their knowledge and

stories to younger generations, Morales said. They visit area schools

to teach students about their culture and ancestors.

“I thought some Indians living today would be more modern,”

9-year-old Crystal Ton-Nu said. “But its good that they’ve kept their

traditions.”