Girl Report | CSUSB: Annual California Native American Day

Samantha E.

Girl Reporter

The Annual California Native American day at CSUSB was a wonderful event to attend. It was a great way to get kids involved, learn new things, and spend some quality time with their family. The annual event has been around since about 1999. It was also a great way to step out, and learn about the Native American culture.

Music and dance was and still is a great component in the Native American culture. Once I arrived to the event, I was able to make a Clapper Stick. The clapper stick is a customary rhythmic instrument to use while singing or dancing. They are made from a short length of soft wood, one of the ends are split and the pith is removed. When it is struck on the palm of your hand a clacking noise is produced which you can match to the rhythm which i found very interesting.

Jewelry and basket weaving were one of the great items they were selling. The had a plethora of different types of necklaces and earrings. Almost all of these were pieces of jewelry were hand made. The basket weaving that they had there was another beautiful thing to see. Basket weaving has been around since almost 8000 B.C. Many of the baskets had intricate designs and patterns weaved into them. They even had earrings made out of straw that were woven into different designs.

Towards the end of the night they had Indians from different tribes sing American bird songs. Bird songs are an allegorical cycle of approximately 300 pieces, they were important because they keep the native american culture alive. The songs were beautiful and it was great to see how they used the clapper sticks and the gourd rattles (gourd rattles are a instrument that was typically made out of small jugs with rice or beans in them). Overall, I had a wonderful time at the event and you can too! From October 13- 15 at Cal State University of San Bernardino, they will be hosting a Pow Wow – open to the public and free admission.