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Arts & Entertainment

Descanso Gardens Festival: The Garden Before "The Gardens"

Descanso Gardens celebrates the land and the power of story in “The Garden Before the Gardens.”

 This one-day festival includes storytelling stations, a story walk that links to Descanso Gardens’ Native American heritage, and demonstrations of Indian basket making. Most activities free with Gardens admission.

The garden has a special meaning for many of us, whether it is where one soaks up beauty and quiet or as the place to recall childhood. This meaning becomes part of who we are, and part of our own personal story. This fall, Descanso Gardens will celebrate the connections between our stories – and the stories that were here before Descanso.

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Donna Preble, in her superb book “Yamino Kwiti,” tells the story of a young Tongva boy living in the garden that was the Los Angeles Basin before the arrival of the Spaniards. Set more than 200 years ago, “Yamino-Kwiti” paints a breathtaking picture of what it would have been like to live amid the oaks and rivers that were here before us, in the place where Descanso Gardens would one day bloom. Preble’s gift for storytelling, as well as her exquisite illustrations, inspired the Yamino-Kwiti Adventure Trail at Descanso, a self-guided story walk that will immerse visitors in the world of the Tongva people, and those that came before.

With a Descanso Gardens “Passport to the Wild” in hand,  children are invited to travel through time and garden space to hear timeless stories. The adventure unfolds:

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  • Follow the Yamino-Kwiti Adventure Trail: What would life have been like for a Tongva boy living inthe very area on which Descanso Gardens rests? Find out on the Yamino-Kwiti Adventure Trail – a storywalk through the Gardens that will immerse you in the world of the people who lived here hundreds of years before us. Complete the trail and find a sweet surprise!
  • Passport to the Wild: Listen to a story and receive a passport stamp at each of these “story-visits”: “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, at 10 a.m. in the Rose Pavilion; “The Girl Who Married the Moon,” an Arapaho tale retold by James Walden, 11 a.m. on Magnolia Lawn; “Misadventures in the Wild West,” an original tale told by storyteller and voice-over artist Bill Ratner, noon in Under the Oaks Theater; "The Rough-Face Girl” by Rafe Martin, 1 p.m. in the Oak Grove; and "Just a Dream” by Chris Van Allsburg, 2 p.m.  in Rose Pavilion.
  • Basket weaving demonstration, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Oak Grove: The California Indian Basket Weavers Association will demonstrate the ancient art of basket weaving with native plants. Baskets will be on display and available for purchase.
  • Native Plant Uses, 10 a.m. in Maple and the California Garden: Natives Horticulturalist Rachel Young draws on the wisdom of indigenous people to explore the many practical uses of California native plants. Discover how local flora was used for food, medicine and basket weaving. $10 non-members, members free. Advance registration required: (818) 949-7980.
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