I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to join the Daisen delegation on their cultural tour of our local tribal lands of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.
Our first, and breathtakingly amazing stop was at the Great Oak, known as Wi’áaşal. This majestic tree is recognized as the largest naturally grown indigenous coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) in the Western United States. Its trunk is over 20 feet in circumference, and the above-ground portion of the tree is nearly 100 feet tall. Wi’áaşal’s largest branches reach the ground, supporting the tree’s weight and creating a sheltering canopy for countless generations of people and animals. The Great Oak is over 1,000 years old.
To the Pechanga people, the land and the Great Oak that stands upon it carry meaning that transcends physical presence. The Great Oak has come to embody the identity and character of the Pechanga Band: strength, wisdom, longevity and determination.
Our tour included discussions of the foliage that surrounded us and its purpose. The sage is very important in the tribal traditions.
This remnant of wild cucumber was so interesting and while the seeds are poisonous, they were used for jewelry making. This shell makes for a loofa type scrubber.
Tree willow provided building materials for their kíicha (houses below).
The area which we toured, the Great Oak Ranch, was actually located just outside the borders of the reservation land which was granted to the Pechanga people in 1882. In 2001, the Pechanga Tribe purchased the Great Oak Ranch, Wi’áaşal, and the 1000 acres surrounding it. In April 2003, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians had the Great Oak Ranch property put into federal trust by President Bush. This property is now part of the Pechanga Reservation.
The ranch’s most famous resident was mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner, who owned the land he called Rancho del Paisano from 1937 until his death in 1970. Gardner passed the bar at 21 and was a practicing lawyer until 1933 when he retired to write detective fiction full-time. He is best known for his Perry Mason novels, which were later adapted for radio, movies, and television. Gardner was an extremely prolific author. In addition to completing more than 100 novels, he also wrote several non-fiction books and dozens of short stories and magazine articles.
Although Gardner originally intended his ranch to be a part-time residence, it eventually became his primary home. Over the years, he expanded the living quarters on the 1000-acre ranch from one small cabin to a complex of 27 buildings, which included separate cabins for the many full-time secretaries who typed the novels he dictated. He even built a fireproof vault (above) where he stored his original manuscripts and recordings.
History lessons, old friends and In-N-Out... it's what a great day is all about.
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3 comments:
Wow, what a tree!
I think the tree was totally the star. It looked magical!
the tree is amazing! Interesting history on the writer. Looks like a fun day.
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