STATE'S INDIANS PLAN A SUMMIT OF STORYTELLERS; TRIBES TO GIVE THEIR PERSPECTIVE OF GOLD RUSH SESQUICENTENNIAL.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

It was 150 years ago that eager Americans setting out across the wide continent made their way westward to California in a mad race for riches known ever since as the Gold Rush.

This year, California celebrates the sesquicentennial of one of the most significant events leading to statehood. But for Kat High, looking back over the history books at the series of events sparked by the 1848 discovery of gold brings deep sorrow as she relives her ancestors' experience.

``The Gold Rush marked the beginning of an extreme period of genocide for my tribe,'' said High, an American Indian whose tribe - the Hupa - was decimated and ousted from its native lands near Eureka in Northern California in the years following the gold discovery.

So when High and her colleagues with the Satwiwa Cultural Center in Newbury Park were asked to take part in the official sesquicentennial celebration last year, they were not sure how to respond.

``Most of us wanted to cry,'' High said. ``The Northern California tribes were virtually obliterated, and in Southern California there is no tribal land left. The urbanization has developed over most of the traces of our tribal traditions and culture.''

Then, High struck her own gold - an idea that will bring hundreds of American Indians together next weekend to celebrate the oral tradition that has kept the native culture alive despite the predations of the Gold Rush participants.

``You know, the stories of our culture and history and traditions are so rich and still so alive today. That is our gold, and we can still claim it as our own,'' said High.

``I wanted to bring that out, especially now. I think it is important for there to be an Indian presence during the sesquicentennial,'' she said.

Over the past 1-1/2 years, High contacted hundreds of American Indian groups across the state and secured thousands of dollars in grants to bring them to Newbury Park for the first California Indian Storytellers Gathering next weekend.

The two-day event will bring together the state's more than 40 tribes to share traditional and contemporary stories - about the creation of the Earth, about the animals regarded and feared among the tribes, and about lessons learned and passed along generation after generation for centuries.

``This means a lot to the Native American people. Many of these stories have been handed down for generations,'' said Charlie Cooke, chairman of the Friends of Satwiwa and a hereditary chief of the Chumash Indian Eagle Clan.

``They keep alive and explain some of our traditions or offer lessons. Some are humorous, others are serious. But they are all rich in meaning to anyone who listens,'' Cooke said.

On Saturday, the gathering will focus on traditional stories from various tribes across the state. Five storytelling groups - including the Dolphin Dancers, the Intertribal Bird Singers, the Tongva Dancers and the Kumeyaay Bird Singers - will recount their tales through dance.

``Many of the local Southern California tribes had what are called birdsongs to tell their creation stories and migration stories. We wanted to include as many different types of storytelling as we could,'' High said.

On Sunday, contemporary California storytellers - from poets to writers of American Indian stories in a more modern setting - will take the stage.

The day will also feature two panel discussions exploring the role storytelling plays in California Indian life today and of the impact technology has had on the oral tradition so critical to their culture.

``I am a videographer myself and I'm into cable access and the Internet and electronic media and all that,'' High said. ``But I think nothing can replace the importance of storytelling and of passing those stories on to our children. The stories explain who we are and where we are from, and they give us a sense of rootedness that cannot be replaced by technology or found anywhere else.''

Besides keeping the stories alive, High said her goal is also to keep the oral tradition of storytelling thriving among both Indians and non-Indians. In her work to organize next weekend's event, High said she has discovered a network of storytellers mostly based in Northern California that intends to launch a statewide circuit.

``In a way, this is our first event, and we are planning to expand,'' High said.

For years, Lauren Teixeira envisioned building a statewide group of native storytellers. Based in Fremont in Northern California, Teixeira started by founding the California Storytelling Association several years ago. With High's help, the group will finally extend into Southern California.

``Over the last 10 or 15 years, we've seen a lot of new energy and revival in interest in Native American culture. It's been like a renaissance within the California Indian community,'' said Teixeira, a non-Indian whose interest in the native traditions and in storytelling grew out of her profession as a children's librarian.

``We've seen the growth of the California Indian Basketweavers Association over the past decade and now it seems to be time for storytelling to be part of that revival,'' she said.