San Pasqual Reservation

This week's photo session was pretty far from campus.  Due to midday traffic, it took a while for everyone to arrive at the Valley View Casino parking lot.  From there, we traveled in a pack to the San Pasqual Cultural Center, which is situated next to the scenic Lake Wohlford.  The view from the windows and the deck was absolutely stunning, but my lens was not working properly so I could not get a decent photo.

After exploring the building and surroundings, the other classes sat down while the photography students stood or sat around the tables.  Kristie Orosco introduced the speaker, Preston, an elder from the tribe.  He described life on the reservation and the usage of sacred plants.  He recounted stories of diseases and even lice being cured through the use of the plants, and then began to sing in the native language.  Even though our class was not attending for botanical or historical purposes specifically, it was interesting to listen to.

Once the lecture was over, the other classes began to plant some of the sacred plants that had just been talked about in the surrounding area.  There were some beautiful plants already there in blossom, as well as a fallen tree and what looked to be ruins of a building.  I managed to get a few photos, but most of what I got was ruined by the poor focusing of my lens.

 

Preston Arrow-Weed