A week ago Saturday I had the pleasure of joining Richard Carrigan and Kristine Clark as their guests at the Malibu Stage Company for “A Night With Coyote.” On a night when North America was experiencing the extraordinary celestial experience of a full lunar eclipse of a full moon, the evening turned out to be an extraordinarily special Malibu experience as well.
Co-sponsored by the Native American Cultural Resource Committee, Malibu Parks and Recreation and the Malibu Stage Company, it was an evening of Chumash music, dance, tradition and story telling, recalling an earlier time in Malibu when its people lived in harmony both with each other and with nature. Joining me as guests of Richard and Kristine for an evening of healing were people who a only days earlier had been leaders on the two sides of a hard fought campaign over Measure M, and the future of Malibu.
As I sat in the theater that night, I could not help but think about the responsibility we all share as present stewards of this very special place. All of us love Malibu, yet we know that as time goes on Malibu must change.
So, as we decide the direction that change will take, I hope we can all take an important lesson from the Chumash – our time as stewards of Malibu is only temporary. And, future generations will tell the stories about how well we did or did not work together to preserve this special place for them.
Rich Fox