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SLR Band
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Indigenous California
'Íswut
of San Luis Rey
Luiseño version
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'Íswut of San Luis Rey
Text by Cathleen Chilcote Wallace
Images by Cheryl Eng
Many years ago, in the early 1900’s,
you could buy a handful of candy for a penny. It was a time when
there were not a lot of cars, roads, or houses in Southern California.
It was also not unusual for a large family to send one of their
oldest children to live with relatives in order to help with chores
or because of a crowded home. So that is how a young girl came to
live with her grandparents on a ranch in the lush San Luis Rey Valley.*
The girl had lovely brown skin and long shiny black hair that her
grandmother wove into two thick braids everyday. She was small,
thin, and had sparkling dark eyes and a sweet smile.
Abuelita, the girl’s grandmother, was a Luiseño Indian,
the native people of the valley. Her grandfather, Abuelito, had
come to California as a young man from France. As many people of
his time he emigrated from Europe looking for adventure and opportunity.
He bought his ranch during a time when land was inexpensive and
plentiful.
Spanish was the common language that the family spoke at home. They
all spoke English in town. Abuelita’s speech was often peppered
with her native Luiseño. The girl also spoke Luiseño,
especially when excited.
The work on the large ranch seemed endless. Although the girl was
young she was expected to do her share of daily chores. She didn’t
mind the work because she was strong and enjoyed the outdoors. She
gathered eggs in the hen house, milked cows, and took the family
goat, Chivo, out to pasture.
The girl loved music and often hummed softly to herself as she carried
wood into the kitchen for the stove or brought in buckets of water
for washing dishes or baths. As she gathered zanahorias, carrots;
cebollas, onions; and chiles from the garden she would sing:
Summer sun sits up on high
Ripe acorns fall by and by
Flowers bloom on prickly pear
Earth and sky are everywhere
The girl had her own dog that followed her everywhere. It was said
that he was part wolf, which is why his name was `Ìswut—Wolf
in the language of the girl’s native ancestors. `Ìswut
was big and thick with a lustrous coat of brown and white speckled
fur. He had huge ears that heard every sound. `Ìswut’s
most striking feature however, was his eyes; they were crystal blue
like the sky on a clear day.
Now, `Ìswut was no ordinary dog. He was very smart. The girl
had trained him since he was young and he obeyed her every command.
“Cierra la puerta, `Ìswut.” “ Close the
door.” “Tràme el palo.” “ Bring me
the stick.”” “Ven aquì, `Ìswut.”
“ Come here `Ìswut.” “Busca el chivo.”
“ Look for the goat.”
`Ìswut was a good watchdog for the ranch but he considered
himself the girl’s protector. `Ìswut never forgot that
when he was a pup he had been rescued by the girl from under a fallen
tree near the riverbank. He loved her fiercely and never let her
out of his sight.
So it was that one beautiful morning in late summer the girl had
completed all her chores. Abuelita handed her a cloth covered basket
filled with food and surprised the girl by saying she could spend
the rest of the day at the beach. Oh, how the girl loved the beach
and the refreshing ocean, wet and cool. Her sweet smile spread across
her face as she thanked her grandmother. With `Ìswut trotting
at her side the girl set off to the beach.
The westward journey to the beach was several miles and the girl
always savored the walk. Since `Ìswut was with her, nobody
at the ranch worried about the girl’s safety.
The girl meandered along the path beside the clear and sparkling
river, the San Luis Rey River that made the valley so rich and fertile.
She walked among the wild grape plants and the blackberry bushes
that had provided food for her ancestors. She walked under the oak
trees and put a few acorns in her basket. She often helped Abuelita
gather acorns for making weewish, once a staple food of the Luiseño
people. She also added flowers and peppergrass to the basket as
she walked beside the river.
Passing by the Mission San Luis Rey, the girl left the path and
quietly entered the small cemetery next to the church. She laid
the flowers, peppergrass, and acorns on the grave of a relative.
She said a prayer and sang:
Summer sun sits up on high
Ripe acorns fall by and by
Flowers bloom on prickly pear
Earth and sky are everywhere
As she finished singing she saw a seagull fly overhead reminding
her that she was still a fair distance from the beach. She left
the cemetery, whispered, “Hanì cha!”, “Let’s
go!”, and signaled `Ìswut to follow. They continued
the walk west along the path. `Ìswut chased rabbits while
the girl collected rocks.
Finally, they reached the spot where the river flowed into the ocean,
mòomat, as the ancestors called it. There was not a soul
in sight. The white sand stretched for miles and glittered in the
brilliant sun. The water sparkled and the sea breeze kissed the
girl’s cheeks and fluffed the dog’s fur. She smiled.
The girl set down her basket in the dry sand, èxval. Then
she and `Ìswut hurried to frolic in the water. They splashed
in the refreshing ocean as they jumped over waves and swam.
After a while the girl looked toward the beach and saw two boys
starting to rummage through her food basket. She called to them,
“That’s my food! Leave it alone!” They just laughed
and threw pebbles at the girl and her dog. As a pebble just missed
hitting the girl’s head she yelled, “Qày! Qày!”
“No! No!” in Luiseño. “Hatì ax!”
“Go away!”. “Pitòo!” “Now!”.
The girl had a temper and grew angry. Staring at the boys and narrowing
her eyes she said, “Scare them away, `Ìswut!”.
`Ìswut bounded out of the water dripping wet and growling
at the boys. They became frightened, dropped the pebbles and ran
down the beach.
The girl smiled as she joined `Ìswut on the shore. “No$ùun
lòoviq, thank you”. She said as she stroked `Ìswut’s
head. She laughed as the dog shook himself and sprayed her with
water. As their bodies dried in the sun they walked along the shore
collecting shells and chasing birds.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the mischievous boys came running by and
splashed into the water. They were teasing and taunting her. “Farm
girl, what are you doing here? Did you ride to town on your goat?”,
they sneered. `Ìswut growled but the boys laughed as they
jumped through the waves.
“Ven, `Ìswut, come”, the girl said. She went
back to her food basket and gave her dog a piece of meat. Then she
pointed to the boys and said, “Guard `Ìswut. Don’t
let the boys get out of the water.”
`Ìswut sprinted back to the tide’s edge and stood watching
the boys. When they tried to walk out of the water `Ìswut
growled and chased them back in. The boys swam up and down the beach
with tired arms and chattering teeth but wherever they tried to
leave the cool ocean there was `Ìswut chasing them back into
the waves. No matter how hard they tried they could not get onto
dry sand.
Meanwhile, the girl enjoyed her lunch of chicken, a boiled egg,
fresh tortillas, an orange, milk, and her favorite sugar cookies.
She ate with the sun shining down on her and a sweet smile spread
across her face.
When she finished eating she called, “Ven `Ìswut, come.”
He trotted back to her side. As they began the walk home to the
valley the girl sang a little song:
Summer sun sits up on high
Ripe acorns lay by and by
Flowers bloom on prickly pear
Earth and sky are everywhere
It is said that the girl and her dog were never teased by anyone
again.
The girl grew up and raised a family of her own in a little house
near the beach in Oceanside. She was my grandmother and spent many
hours telling me stories of the early days in her beloved valley.
Today when I stand on the Mission grounds and a warm breeze blows
through the valley, I can see the girl and `Ìswut passing
by as they walk home from the beach and I can feel the quiet spirits
of those who came before
Hamù` tàp—The End
*The San Luis Rey Valley
is located in Oceanside, California. It is north of San Diego.
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