Friday, July 29, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
At a summer camp, children get to hear
lessons on Chinook history and culture
Junior naturalists at
the wildlife center
By ALEXIS WEISEND
The Astorian
Don Abing, of the Chi-
nook Indian Nation, tapped
his chin so the children
would remember to pro-
nounce “Chinook” with a
“chin” and not a “shin.”
He told them that Chi-
nook people used Oregon
ash trees for canoe paddles,
never hunted spiritually
important brown or white
pelicans, fashioned tools
out of elk and deer bones
and kept dogs as pets.
Abing’s lessons on Chi-
nook history and culture
were part of a junior nat-
uralist summer camp for
third-through-fi fth graders
at the Wildlife Center of the
North Coast.
“They’re our neighbors
… ,” he said of the children.
“We need to make sure
that our original culture,
as well as our contempo-
rary culture, is knowledge
that is shared so that there
would be peace and cooper-
ation and understanding of
values.”
Abing explained the Chi-
nook Nation’s connection to
nature and how they cared
for the land for thousands of
years.
“The Chinook Indian
Nation were, for millennia,
the original caretakers and
stewards of the soil you are
now sitting on … of the trail
you just came from, of the
air you’re just now breath-
ing,” he said.
He advised the children
R.J. Marx
Susan Penrod addresses members of the Seaside Chamber
of Commerce at the high school library.
Alexis Weisend
Don Abing, of the Chinook Indian Nation, talks with children at a summer camp at the Wildlife
Center of the North Coast.
to leave no trace where they
walk. He said after the Chi-
nook would hunt and gather,
the last people to leave
would look to make sure the
trail was not disturbed.
Abing also shared the
Chinook Nation’s eff ort
to restore federal recogni-
tion, which would give the
roughly 3,000 members
access to federal programs
and resources. He asked the
children to speak to their
parents and gave them a
link to a petition, which
they scribbled down in their
notebooks.
The Chinook were recog-
nized by the federal govern-
ment in 2001 at the end of
the Clinton administration,
but the status was rescinded
under the George W. Bush
administration in 2002.
“Our lands were taken
away from us, our resources
were taken away from us,”
Abing said. “That’s one rea-
son why I shared that web-
site with you.”
Abing brought a book
that translates English to
Chinuk Wawa, the Chinook
language, to show the chil-
dren the language is not
dead despite few people
speaking it.
Wesley Maier, one of the
campers, said he can relate
to some of what Abing said
about the Chinook Nation
because he is Navajo.
He said he feels sad that
there aren’t many people
who speak Chinuk Wawa
because he worries the
Navajo language is dying.
He liked hearing about
how the Chinook do not
hunt pelicans, because it
reminds him of his own cul-
ture, where he cannot touch
or look at snakes to avoid an
evil spirit and bad luck.
Another boy told Abing
his parents said he is part
Native American, but he
didn’t know where exactly
he was from.
“It’s important that you
reach out and fi nd that iden-
tity, keep that identity and
be proud of that identity
because it has a connec-
tion,” Abing said.
Chalk art: Artists
to show off their
skills on the Prom
Continued from Page A1
Continued from Page A1
may receive “hot spot”
wireless connections to
enable online use. A small
number of students — three
or four families — have no
internet access at all.
A three-week summer
school starts this month,
down from six weeks last
year.
“Last year, we received
about twice the funding
from the state that we have
this year,” Penrod said. “So
we ran two, three-week
programs. But this year,
we’re still able to run a
really robust program. For
K-8, it’s a little bit more of
an enrichment program and
for our high schoolers, it’s
an opportunity to recoup
lost credits.”
The
kindergar-
ten-through-eighth grade
program runs from Aug. 1
to Aug. 19 with no on-cam-
pus learning Fridays, said
Sarah Shields, the assis-
tant superintendent of cur-
riculum. Lunch and trans-
portation will be provided.
About 125 students are
signed up.
The high school pro-
gram runs Aug. 1 to Aug.
26 with no on-campus
learning Fridays. Transpor-
tation and lunch are also
provided.
About 50 high school-
ers are enrolled, including
students who will be taking
the credit recovery inde-
pendent class.
Penrod guided members
of the Seaside Chamber of
Commerce through the high
school and middle school
at the chamber’s July 13
morning meeting. District
enrollment fl uctuates from
between 1,550 and 1,600
students, she said, with
Pacifi c Ridge Elementary
School, the middle school
and high school and the
Cannon Beach Academy, a
charter school with 40 to 45
students.
The district’s geographic
area stretches from Cullaby
Lake in the north to Arch
Cape in the south.
Penrod’s
fi rst
two
years as superintendent
came with a new campus
and remote learning as a
result of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Along with students, the
new campus has brought
some other surprises,
Shields said, from a bobcat
to swarms of caterpillars on
the driveway.
“You want to see the
world’s largest collection
of caterpillars?” she said.
“Come up here.”
DINING
on the
NORTH COAST
2021 contestant Kelsey Potter
works on her creation on the
Prom. She was recognized
for Best Representation of
Marine Life.
off er the class and then have
the contest, I think that’s a
really special thing.”
This year, organizers
are capping entries at 25 to
ensure there is enough space
for each person to create their
artwork. The $35 entrance
fee covers the class and con-
test, as well as a set of pastels
and other supplies. Those
Great Restaurants in:
GEARHART • SEASIDE
CANNON BEACH
Portland artist and educator Bev Cordova instructs
contestants during last year’s class held in conjunction with
the Chalk Art Contest.
interested in participating
can register at sunsetempire.
com or call 503-738-3311.
Through a grant from the
Juan Young Trust, the recre-
ation district was able to pur-
chase supplies for the artists
and fund the class and con-
test. T he grant will cover the
2023 event as well.
WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO?
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Junior Menu
RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
• Lighter appetite menu
E
RIL Y’
S
Friday at the Sunset Recre-
ation Center. Portland artists
and art educators Bev Cor-
dova and May Wallace will
teach contestants how to cre-
ate chalk art using pastels.
They
instruct
new-
bies who haven’t used pas-
tels and also give advice to
those already familiar with
the medium. The idea is to
make the contest accessi-
ble to participants of vary-
ing ages and skill levels.
Last year, among the 21 con-
testants, the youngest was 5
years old and the oldest was
in their 80s.
“We had quite the range,”
Ousley said . “You don’t have
to be this incredibly accom-
plished artist to do it.”
During the class, contes-
tants can develop a mockup
of their artwork and prac-
tice on the sidewalk outside
the recreation center. They
will then transpose their
ideas onto the hard-surfaced
Prom on Saturday morn-
ing, followed by judging and
an awards ceremony in the
afternoon.
The panel of judges
includes
City
Coun-
cilor Steve Wright; Katie
McCloud, interim CEO
of the Seaside Chamber
of Commerce; and Ken
Heman, with the Seaside
Visitors Bureau and Seaside
Downtown
Development
Association.
They will select a win-
ner in each of the categories,
which include best represen-
tation of the Prom; best rep-
resentation of marine life;
best representation of the
spirit of Seaside; best kid
entry; and best adult entry.
During the day, organizers
also will collect votes from
passersby for the People’s
Choice award.
“Our idea is just to make
it fun, make it accessible and
something everybody can
enjoy,” Ousley said. “The
mission of Sunset Empire is
to extend these opportunities
for recreational program-
ming to anybody in the com-
munity. For us to be able to
School: A three-week
summer school starts
this month, down from
six weeks last year
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