Students celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Month with an afternoon of traditional Chumash rock painting at Rooted In Tradition, a California Lutheran University event hosted by the Center for Cultural Engagement and Inclusion on Friday, Nov. 14.

Alan Salazar, a traditional native storyteller and indigenous educator, was the invited speaker for the event. Salazar is an elder of the Chumash and Tataviam tribes and retired juvenile probation officer, according to his interview with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

“[Salazar] seems full of humor. He brings a good energy and I think that [this] activity is a very interesting and fun one, I think, that we don’t often see on campus,” said Brendan Manipol, a programming intern for the CCEI.

The event coincided with the week’s Foodie Friday and was originally scheduled to take place in Kingsmen Park. Due to the rain, it was moved inside the Student Union, Manipol said.

Salazar answered questions from students about his experiences growing up with Indigenous heritage, including the importance of storytelling in his life. He also led participants through a watercolor activity.

Using a mortar, Salazar also demonstrated how to crush different rocks to create unique pigments. He explained how each could be used for watercolors along with their context in Indigenous practices. 

Nathaniel Senaratne, a sophomore, said he came to the event right after his organic chemistry class. While he did not participate in the rock painting, he said listening to Salazar’s stories was a “really refreshing” experience.

“It was pretty nice to hear, like, his story and how important storytelling is,” Senaratne said. “I felt like I needed this after stress [from my class].”

Manipol said it was his first time planning an event for Indigenous Peoples’ Month with the CCEI and hopes to continue hosting similar events for Cal Lutheran students. 

“Alan [Salazar] is a very inviting guy,” Manipol said. “He’s … really inviting people into his life and the history of the Chumash peoples, which I think is great.”