In August, the Pajaro Valley Indian Council tribal members spent a week at the Watsonville Slough Farm Bee Barn in ceremony, educating youth, and creating cultural art pieces.

Patrick Orozco, a tribal leader with modern roots in the Pajaro Valley, has spent his life researching his personal cultural history, and more broadly, the cultural history of the Monterey Bay area. He is a wealth of knowledge. Anyone fortunate enough to sit down with him is inspired and delighted with stories and song. I say delighted, but that word doesn’t quite capture the experience of talking with Patrick. It is a real honor to receive his wisdom. Like many of the tribal leaders in the Monterey Bay area, Patrick has singlehandedly brought his culture back through his tireless commitment to the past and future.

The mission of the Pajaro Valley Indian Council is “to bring people together as one, through love, peace and solidarity. We teach our children to love and respect all people and to respect the land and all that Creator has given them.” Their members are of Chumash, Salinan, Rumsen, Chipawa, Apache, Esselen, Navajo, Yaqui and Lakota decent.

We at the Land Trust are so happy to have Native people on land in our trust, practicing their cultural ceremonies and bringing language and song back to the land.