“We need everyone to make sure the place we call home we keep it as pristine as possible,” – CSU San Marcos professor Dr. Joely Proudfit. 

The Iipay Nation of The Santa Ysabel Band, the Pauma Tribe of the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians, and the Acjachemen Nation of the Juaneño Band of Indians united in solidarity at this year’s Ohana Festival in Dana Point. These tribes performed ritual blessings and recited traditional prayers in the opening ceremony to commence the weekend. It was important to note that the land the festival was held on was the original ancestral land of the tribes in attendance. This acknowledgment allows the tribes and the audience to give thanks and remembrance to how this land was assimilated, suburbanized, and overrun, but to also acknowledge the perseverance and strength these current tribe members have to carry on ancient traditions and strive for ownership of inherited land.