Standing solemnly above Lot 19 is a pine tree, taller than the surrounding Cypresses and even barely peeking over the Chapman building. Its broad branches and thick trunk have stood watch over campus for many years, but now unfortunately, it must be removed sometime in early November to make way for the Taylor Science and Engineering building.
Photo by Sean Tubo
Two members of the Costanoan Rumsen tribe visited this Saturday to hold a ceremony to honor and celebrate the tree. The large pine is the only one that must be removed to make way for the new building according to Cultural Heritage Collections Manager Jordan Leininger.
“We want to give thanks for the tree,” said Costanoan Rumsen tribe member Samuel, “give thanks for all it’s done, and pray for its journey.”
The ceremony was performed by two members of the tribe, who thanked and allowed members of the campus community to participate. The planned removal of the tree is emotional for many members of the campus community and beyond. A visiting member of the Mutsun tribe (not a part of the ceremony) who goes by Mifune expressed their grief at the removal of such a longstanding part of the environment.
“This is a funeral for me,” said Mifune.
“Nobody here has lived longer than this tree, this tree has more entitlement than anybody here,” said Mifune. “This is his land, we built around him.”
“This tree can tell us so much. How many people have put their hands on this tree? How many hundreds of years have they done that? How many families have watched this tree grow?”
Mifune hopes that the wood will be reused for a ceremonial flame. According to Samuel, it will be. After it is cut down, the Costanoan Rumsen tribe hopes to obtain pinenuts, needles and, of course, wood to be used for ceremonial fires.
Perhaps no one at the ceremony had a deeper connection with this particular pine than professor of environmental studies Victoria Derr. For years she’s used a picnic table under the tree to relax and meet with students, appreciating the numerous species of birds that used it as a home. During the ceremony she described it as her ‘favorite tree.’
“I just love the feeling of this particular tree,” Derr said. “We don’t have that many pines on campus and they give off a particular feel. The needles, the silence, the softness of the ground.”
The day of the ceremony was unseasonably warm, with clear blue skies and a constant gentle breeze rustling the needles of the pine.
During the ceremony the two members asked everyone in attendance, about 15 in all, to gather in a circle, burning sage and blowing it over the members one by one using a fan made of redtail hawk feathers. Then they sang four songs, including the story of the hummingbird which originally stole fire to ‘honor the tree.’ Then they passed some of the burnt sage to each person in attendance, asking them to leave a prayer with the sage at the base of the pine.
Afterwards there was a moment of silence. Some holding a hand respectfully to the pine, some stepping back to stand quietly.
The ceremony was not the only one that day. Even with the construction disrupting the area, fire ants on their nuptial flights crawled past, new wings glinting in the October sun.