Indigenous 20-Something Project (I20SP) - Spotlight on Eva Pagaling
Eva Pagaling (Wishtoyo watershed science intern and tribal member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians) and Carly Simon (CSU Channel Islands stream team intern) collect water quality and flow data from an MS4 discharge in the upper Santa Clara River.
We congratulate our Wishtoyo team member and watershed science intern, Eva Pagaling, who is currently featured in the Indigenous 20-Something Project (I20SP) – Spotlight. The I20SP is an inter-tribal movement to bring healing and wellness to an entire generation by promoting, creating, and sustaining healthy lasting collaborations among Indigenous 20-somethings to stop the toxic impacts of intergenerational trauma. Check out the I20SP website at https://i20sp.com and Eva’s interview at https://i20sp.com/i20sp-spotlight/2020/1/30/eva-pagaling (reprinted below).
Eva Pagaling and Josh Cocker (Kiowa and Tongan) are processing water samples for bacteria in Wishtoyo’s lab at CSU Channel Islands.
Eva Pagaling
What are your tribe(s): Samala Chumash and Yakama
Whats your age: 28
Name: Eva Pagaling
What are the first 3 words that come to mind when you hear the word healing?
Recognition, Forgiveness, and Love.
Bio/ backstory, tell us what you DO and a bit about how you came to do it.
I’m currently doing environmental work with the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation: First Nations Ecological Conservation Alliance. The project we’re working on is to protect native wildlife throughout the Utom River in our territory. This river is the largest and most diverse watershed in Southern California, its English name is the Santa Clara River. I work along side an environmental scientist to ensure endangered native species, such as the steelhead trout, are able to live sustainably throughout the 84mi long river. I’m able to work with the Wishtoyo Foundation because it’s made up of families from different bands within our tribe. My band along with theirs have agreed to make a joint-effort to protect the Utom river. I also do seasonal canoe programs with the culture department of my band, both jobs are meaningful and bring a lot of intrinsic value to my life.
How do you heal?
My process of healing begins with recognizing parts that need healing. The next step is found in forgiveness, whether that means forgiving myself or others who may have been apart of the pain that calls for healing. The final step is putting in the work to find ways to fill in the painful parts with love. I believe the kind of love that heals comes from your conscious choice to grow from painful things, and this love can be found in your traditions as well as those within your circle. One way I heal is by spending time with the ocean since my people are of a maritime culture. My father, Reggie Pagaling, is a captain and canoe-builder in our tribe and I’ve been pulling water with him since I was a young girl. We make an annual paddle with our tomol (a traditional wood-plank canoe) 21 miles across open ocean to the island our people came from. As you can imagine this journey requires a lot of mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical preparation for pullers. Once we arrive at the bay of our island, our families sing us to shore and that homecoming has always been healing for me. The island was annexed from us a long time ago and we’ve fought to get it back but haven’t succeeded yet. But to be able to see, hear, and feel my people coming together on the island from our creation story is both powerful and humbling.
What is your calling rn?
My calling at the moment is a few things. First is becoming a mother, my son is 2yrs old and before he was born I decided that moving home and raising my son in my community was the best decision for us. I made this decision because I wanted him to grow up knowing where he comes from. Which brings me to my next calling of continuing to learn my traditions. I don’t know everything about my people but I do know that all of our teachers are both in and outdoors on the land and sea. So being in my home territory is the right place to be right now. Lastly, as I’m learning about our traditions it’s important that I pass on the things I do learn as they come. I think this is every native persons calling because that’s what our elders/teachers are doing for us and that’s the way it’s meant to be.
Do your ancestors affect what you do, how you live? If so, how?
From the work I do within my community to the way I’ve chosen to raise my son, I seek guidance from my ancestors every step of the way, so I believe they’re always connected to the way I live.
Who are your Mentors/ role models?
My mentors are the matriarchs creator has blessed me with in life this far and those I have yet to know. I’m named after both of my grandmothers and in their lifetimes they did everything possible to be able to provide from their families as well as their people. My maternal grandmother Deanna Espina (Yakama) worked in Indian Education for nearly her whole life in Northern California. My paternal grandmother Eva Pagaling (Chumash) was a boarding school survivor. She was a mother of 9 and worked tirelessly to provide for her family. When we were put onto a reservation she spoke of how she fought to get running water for our people. And when our tribe began hosting pow wows over 20 years ago, she made the decision to start the first and only Chumash fry bread stand because she taught us the importance of feeding your people. My father is also a role model to me because he chose to be an integral part in the revitalization of our canoe culture. Furthermore he never excluded my sister and I from that part of our culture. Although there have been debates on whether or not traditionally women were be allowed in our canoes, my father didn’t enforce that rule on us because he wanted to share everything he had learned with us. To this day he continues to teach myself and anyone in our tribe who is willing to learn about his knowledge of our tomols.
What inspires/ drives you to keep going?
My loved ones inspire and drive me to keep going. As I’ve gotten older my circle has grown and everyone in it encourages me to continue on my path. To have a strong circle of people who support your path is essential to having successful ventures in life and I’m grateful for everyone who has chosen to walk with me.
If you could relay a mantra, message, wisdom, ism, food for thought to Indigenous 20 somethings from the US and abroad what would you say?
My late stepmom used to tell us- Be stronger than, Not angry at. One wisdom that is often shared within our tomol family and throughout canoe cultures is that each pull is a prayer. My personal belief I try to live by is that if each pull is a prayer on water, then each step you take on land is a prayer too.