Posted: October 4th, 2008

Please see the YouTube video of Acjachemen elders and tribal members speaking of the meaning of Panhe in their lives at www.savepanhe.org and www.savesanonofre.org. The following is a transcript of that video.

Anita Espinoza Cruz: My name is Anita Espinoza Cruz. I was born in Orange County, Fullerton, 1928. I am Acjachmen Indian, yes. It’s not just our sacred land here which is a big factor. It’s so sad to even think that there will be destruction here and our wildlife, where are they all going to? Very sad if they do permit the toll road to come through. I just hope and pray that it does not go through. Panhe means a sacred village site where my ancestors have been buried.

Michael Tacayos Bracamontes: Panhe Najoana for me means a place of beginning, a place where everything begins.

Alfred Cruz: Well, Panhe’s important because that’s where I came from, that’s … my ancestors are buried there. We come from Panhe, we come from Patee, and we come from some of the old Tuppleway and some of the other … old villages, you know.

Domingo Belardes: It’s a place where we can be ourselves basically. Be who we were born to be. Be native. Enjoy the land, the plants, and the animals and be able to do our ceremonies and sing sing our songs so our ancestors can feel good again.

Rebecca Robles: I consider it a power place, a spirit place, a gathering place, a holding place, and you know like when I walk around I feel kind of at peace like a going home, sort of a feeling.

Richard Andrew Quiroz: Like today for instance, you know, coming here with the song fest and any chance I have to come out here and just spend time with our tribe, you know, no matter who with, you know, which people it is or just myself, you know, just come out here and just be here is very uplifting for me, it’s very strenghtful in some ways, it gives me peace.

Anita Espinoza Cruz: And when I come here it’s like I belong and I feel the presence of my, of my ancestors, I feel close to them. I feel like this is a place of prayer. It’s not a church but it’s still, to us it’s like a church.

Michael Tacayos Bracamontes: This is where our history started here.

Rebecca Robles: I can trace my Acjachmen lineage through my mother, I’m Acjachmen. The baptismal records at San Juan Capistrano list Panhe as being my, my mother’s relatives’ home and 1779 they were baptized.

Michael Tacayos Bracamontes: To have, not just our ancestors, but to also to have a modern day Juaneño Acjachmen person, especially of my own blood, buried here on this beautiful land. And yes it’s a very great honor.

Alfred Cruz: And my dad would buy this fish. Its smoked fish, and we would go to the ocean and that’s part of Panhe there. And we always used to come and camp there, you know in the 50’s, I would take my kids there camping now and then. That part of Panhe always kind of brings me back and it has a lot of sense of you know just in my heart. It’s just something that I know that I belong there.

Michael Tacayos Bracamontes: Ever since I was at the age of 9, going as far back as 1981, during that time here at Panhe, this we turned into a thriving village again.

Domingo Belardes: There used to be, like 400 or 500 people here and we’d be able to sing our songs and then we’d be here for days. For days and doing ceremony.

Alfred Cruz: We play pion there. I’m a pion player also.

Anita Espinoza Cruz: We had a hyan that had not been done for over 500 years.

Rebecca Robles: I’ve participated in three ghost dances or spirit dances there. And then, I participated in the hyan.

Domingo Belardes: We also even brought in people from different, other tribes and stuff and done ceremonies with them. It’s been for, for many years that we’ve done it and I’ve come here since I was little. I was, like I said I’m 38 now, but I’ve been coming since I was young, 10 years old, been coming here cleaning the land, trying to make sure, tending to the plants that we want to grow, and then the ones where we’re trying to clear areas where we can camp out and and set our camps and stuff, so its been ongoing. Been down in the creek, down in San Mateo Creek off and on for many years, picking the willows or looking at the rocks, it’s just an array of stuff and been doing it since I was little.

Michael Tacayos Bracamontes: This was a place of wonder.

Richard Andrew Quiroz: I think the favorite thing I have here is just being able to be here with the elders and be able to take part in the ceremonies that our native people have done for many years.

Michael Tacayos Bracamontes: But my biggest worry is that I won’t be able to come here and see and pay respects to my uncle that’s here.

Rebecca Robles: My biggest fear would be it be altered in such a way and the beauty of it would be destroyed. The peacefulness of it would be destroyed. And then, the other question of that is that that would be destroyed for not, you know, in the name of want and greed. In the name you know, of building a road, you know. That we as people would not be wise enough to see that, that a place like that needs to be protected and needs to be preserved.

Anita Espinoza Cruz: And I will keep on praying, in hopes that they will listen.

The video is produced by United Coalition to Protect Panhe, The City Project, and Womyn Image Makers.