“Never forget you are Indian.”

Long ago, Chaz and Cathleen Chilcote looked forward to every Saturday.  That was the day that Grandma and Uncle Andy came to San Diego from Oceanside to visit.  The siblings and their mother would climb into Uncle Andy’s car and he would take everyone on the Saturday errands.  While Mom and Grandma bought groceries, Cathleen and Chaz sat in the car with Uncle Andy.  They rolled down the windows, climbed into the front seat with him and waited.  Then, in his low voice he would say, “So, do you want to hear a story?”  And they did.  Uncle Andy told delightful, detailed stories.  The characters were always animals; animals that lived like humans in the big, wide world where good always triumphed over evil.  The time in the car always passed quickly. 

After a big lunch, Grandma would sip her coffee, and say, “We are Indians.  Our people are from San Luis Rey.”  Then she would start a story.  She told rich, colorful stories about her adventures growing up in the San Luis Rey Valley, the family ranch, healers, ghosts, and superstitions.  Her stories woven with Spanish words took the listener back in time.  She always ended the storytelling session by looking at Cathleen and Chaz, shaking her finger and saying, “Never forget you are Indian.”

Today Chaz is an actor, musician, and storyteller.  He was recognized as one of the top ten Native American entertainers in North America by Four Directions/NBC talent search.  He currently performs in theater and independent film. 

"So, do you want to hear a story?"

Cathleen is a storyteller, bilingual elementary school teacher, and Brandon’s mom.  In addition to NATIVE TALK performances she visits school groups to share local Indian history.  Cathleen is a student in the Luiseño Language Revitalization Program at Pechanga. 

Brandon Chilcote Wallace plays traditional and original flute music on his growing collection of Indian flutes.  He composes songs to accompany the stories told by his mother and uncle.  Brandon has a deep interest and appreciation of music and plays a variety of other instruments as well. Brandon is also a student in the Luiseño Language Revitalization Program.  In addition to his work with NATIVE TALK, Brandon performs in other venues, often as a soloist.  Brandon visits school groups with his mom to demonstrate Indian musical instruments and discuss music history.  He has also been known to tell a favorite story of his own once in a while.

Chaz, Cathleen, and Brandon are Luiseño and members of the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians.  Through NATIVE TALK they have combined their talents to carry on the family tradition of storytelling.  They are dedicated to the preservation of the Luiseño language and culture.  They live in San Diego, California.