VALLEY CENTER, Calif. _ Before joining the tribal council of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians as an elected council member, Laurie Gonzalez worked in a corporate environment where progress and change seemed to move faster.
"I worked in corporate America, so I was used to seeing timely, if not immediate, action and change. Nothing is immediate in terms of dealing with the government," she says. "It is sometimes a challenge to keep the momentum going when you have to keep coming back to the table time and time again. I've gotten used to it now, but in the beginning, I thought it a tactic to just wear us down and make us go away."
If that had been a tactic, it wouldn't work anyway as one of her goals is the continuation of tribe, and one of those ways is through cultural preservation.
As part of a celebration of Native American culture, Gonzalez will present a traditional story with the director of the Rincon Storytellers at the Civic Center Library, in Oceanside.
Gonzalez, 61, lives in Valley Center and has five children, nine grandchildren and a dog named Tonka. She took some time to talk about her work as a council member and her focus on her community, her presentation, and her ambivalent relationship with horror movies.
Q: What are your responsibilities as a Rincon tribal council member and why did you want to join the council?
A: To represent the tribe on an economic, legislative and political level. This includes making decisions regarding the productiveness of our enterprises, creating and implementing our laws and ordinances, as well as lobbying for our rights and causes. My goals and priorities are to look out for the best interests of the Rincon Luiseno people.
I felt I had something to contribute to the success of our people and our enterprise. I worked for Caesar's Entertainment, with the management team, for 11 years and had a good understanding of business operations.
Q: Your presentation has been described as being about "the preservation of the Cham'teela language and the legacy of the Luiseno people." What can you tell us about the people and the language?
A: We are the original people of this area, the Payomkawichum people of the west and have continuously occupied North County from the ocean to the mountains to the deserts for thousands of years. Our language, which at one point was dying out, is now experiencing revitalization. Rincon offers language classes, Pechanga has an immersion school and Palomar College offers online Luiseno classes, so we are bringing it back.
Q: Why is the preservation of the language important?
A: I have talked with many native elders across the country and the common thread in those discussions regarding native language is, once the language is lost, the culture is weakened, if not also lost. It's one more disconnect.
What I love about Valley Center ...
Valley Center may be small, but there is plenty to do and the sense of community is strong. I feel like we look out for, and support, one another.
Q: How would you describe the legacy of the Luiseno people?
A: I would describe it as the beautiful land which is now known as San Diego County. We have been good stewards of the land and environment, taking care of it with respect and reverence. You can see the results of our balanced living in the preserved raw and natural beauty of San Diego.
Q: What can people expect from your presentation?
A: I will present one of our traditional stories with Ami Admire, the director of the Rincon Storytellers. Storytelling is a way of passing information on in a society that relied on the oral tradition. These stories have been passed down for centuries.
I want people to see both our unique culture, but also our commonalities. We told our children stories, educated them, guided them to be good, productive adults. Luiseno stories offer explanations about the world we lived in. As people, we need to not only acknowledge our cultural differences, but to understand and appreciate those differences.
Q: Why is it important to you to share the history and culture of the Luiseno people with others?
A: I want our differences to be understood. I want people to see that our culture is alive, not something read in a textbook or museum display. Camp Pendleton was once a large Luiseno village called Topamai. The Luiseno people continue to monitor any and all construction and development at Camp Pendleton to preserve what remains of our culture, and protect the graves of our ancestors.
Q: What's been your goal as a council member? What do you hope to accomplish in this capacity?
A: My primary goal is to enrich the lives of our tribal members; such a simple statement, but it entails so much: education, healthy living, safety, culture, protection, all of which ensures the continuation of our tribe. Being able to walk in both the modern world and the cultural world is a delicate business. I want our people to be successful at both.
Q: What work have you been most proud of during your time on the council?
A: Nothing can truly be accomplished without the support of my fellow council members, and I am very proud of the work we've done in the area of cultural preservation. We meet regularly with the Army Corps and local developers to ensure the preservation of our sacred sites. I am also very proud of the fact that Rincon is politically active; when we take a position, we make sure that it benefits all of Indian Country.
Q: What's been rewarding about your work on the council?
A: Seeing beneficial projects through to fruition, and seeing the positive impact on the community.
Q: What has this work taught you about yourself?
A: I may be a little quiet, but I'm tenacious and my skin is much thicker than I thought.
Q: What is the best advice you've ever received?
A: A very simple and small piece of advice from my cherished language teacher, Verna Calac Arviso, which is so profound that I repeat it to myself daily: "What's right is right. You know it, so live it."
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: Gosh, I have no idea. In a small community, there aren't many secrets. Perhaps my love of horror conventions. I don't just attend, I dress in costume. People might find this surprising because I rarely watch actual horror movies. They scare me to death! I'm a big scare baby.
Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A: Spending the day in Balboa Park, seeing new exhibits, enjoying nature and then going to Oceanside and eating at The Flying Pig or Wrench & Rodent Seasbasstropub.
