It is 6 p.m. on Oct. 23 — parents off from work and children out of school sat in a semicircle at Menlo Park Library. They listened avidly to the storyteller Roopa Mohan, who shared the story of Ganesha, a Hindu god with an elephant head, at the eighth annual Menlo Park Storytelling Festival.

Every year, Menlo Park Library invites storytellers from different backgrounds to celebrate storytelling with the local community throughout October and November. The festival champions traditional storytelling as an art form that not only allows the expansion of oral history but also gives listeners’ unique imaginative liberties. 

Mohan lived in India for 20 years before moving to the United States. Trained at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, she tells personal narrative, folktale, myth and tall tales related to food and culture. 

“As we listen to stories, we start telling our stories. We start sharing stories about family, about our heritage, about all kinds of things,” Mohan said. “When children experience this, it really broadens their world and it brings people closer.”

When hate crimes toward Asian Americans spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mohan joined other Asian American storytellers to start the Asian American Storytopia project for elementary school children, families and others. She also sits on the board of the Storytelling Association of California, which brings storytelling to underserved schools all over the state. 

“We came up with a plan to educate children with stories from all different Asian countries, so that people will embrace each other,” Mohan said. “I think it will expel racism and all those negative feelings that we see in our society.”

The festival gathered storytellers from both in and outside of California. At the final event on Friday, the audience enjoyed stories from performers based in Texas, Australia, South Korea and elsewhere through Zoom.

A week following Mohan’s performance, children and parents returned to hear from Olga Loya on Oct. 30. Loya invited the audience to take a fresh, personal look at life and death with a story about Día de los Muertos (day of the dead), along with family stories and other Latin American folk tales. 

Loya’s stories seek to help people overcome emotional and cultural boundaries. Instead of believing in what society says what one is capable of achieving, she encourages the audience to break stereotypes and be the author of their own story. 

When Loya was going to school, she was told that she could not go to college because of her family’s financial status. She did not let those words defeat her. Now, she writes her own story to inspire those in a position similar to the one she was once in. 

“People get discouraged when they have stuff like that happen,” Loya said. “I think it’s really important to hear somebody who has come through the other side talk about it. 

“Dancing through La Via” is one of Loya’s stories. It describes growing up in east Los Angeles, where substance abuse and gang violence are prevalent. 

“People need to tell more stories of surviving that,” Loya said. 

Tina Henson, the last in-person storyteller, regaled the audience with stories from a variety of Native traditions. A cloth adorned with drawings of bears, harvest and other symbols hung next to her while she spoke. Following the story, Henson also demonstrated a powwow dance and encouraged her audience to join one of the largest powwows in Northern California at Stanford next year. 

To Henson, storytelling means keeping her traditions alive and “reminding students that Native Americans aren’t just a part of history.”

“We’re very resilient. We’ve done what we had to still be here to be able to share our culture,” Henson said.

Henson attributed one source of inspiration for her storytelling to John Weaver, Menlo Park Library’s senior program assistant. Weaver was her librarian when she grew up in Livermore, and Henson remembered Weaver was always telling stories at the library. Part of Weaver’s mission was to assist in the library programs where children were encouraged to reach the goal of reading one hundred books.

“He made it so exciting and so fun,” Henson said.

At the Menlo Park Storytelling Festival, storytellers encouraged the young audience to pass stories of different cultures onto future generations.

Handmade beaded jewelry, woven baskets, natural remedies and other traditional goods were on display at Montreal’s Indigenous Winter Market over the weekend.

More than 50 Indigenous vendors and artists came together Saturday and Sunday for the annual market on Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

The family event attracted thousands of visitors.

“I think it’s really important to be surrounded by my community,” said Drayton Gilbert, executive assistant at Native Friendship Centre of Montreal. “Not only visibility wise, but to be able to see all different types of communities, the Seven Nations of Quebec. Being western Canadian, seeing my culture being celebrated here as well. It’s really important seeing your people and being around in a positive space.”

The winter market supports Indigenous-led businesses, providing them vendor tables at no cost so they can use all their profits to prepare for upcoming Christmas festivities.

“There are artists from all over Canada that are sharing their skills with the general public here in Montreal,” said Kortnaiy Ray, a vendor at the winter market. “Skills you won’t be able to find in Quebec.”

This year’s market was hosted by three Indigenous non-profit organizations: the Southern Quebec Inuit Association (SQIA), the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal (NFCM) and the Montreal Indigenous Community Network.

Save $150 on the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art lens in this Adorama Cyber Monday deal.

Now that we’re moving away from Black Friday into Cyber Monday, you can pick up this impressive third-party lens for Sony E-mount cameras to sit pride of place as part of your holy trinity setup on a budget. 

Adorama have reduced it to $1049 and added an additional $100 instant coupon at the checkout, meaning it can be yours for just $949 — but you’ll need to act quickly as we’re not sure how long this deal will be around.

We are yet to review the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, although we have reviewed the other two lenses in their holy trinity lineup, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art, which we gave top marks to, and the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art which we gave 4 out of 5 stars.

Although we haven’t reviewed this particular lens, we love Sigma as a brand and think they produce some fantastic alternatives to native lenses when you want to save on cash but not skimp on quality. While there are subtle differences, it’s hard to justify paying twice the price for a native lens when the third-party alternatives are often just as good (or very close!). 

It has a useful 24-70mm focal length which will cover a wide array of photographic styles, from portraiture to landscape and possibly the occasional bit of astro, and its constant fast aperture of f/2.8 ensures images are bright and detailed all throughout the frame, even when you need to take the shutter speed down. It doesn’t have image stabilization, which is to be expected at this price point, but Sony cameras have in-built image stabilization anyway, so it’s not much of an issue.

If you’re on a budget and can’t stretch to the original Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens or the revamped version II (which we loved in our Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II review, but is over double the price of the Sigma) — this deal isn’t one to miss.

Aside from the small differences in image quality (which will only be a dealbreaker for perfectionist pixel peepers and professionals who need the best), the other big difference is the size and weight. The Sigma is bigger and heavier than the Sony — not by a huge amount, but big enough to make a small difference in the feel of your kit bag, so you’ll need to consider if that’s a trade-off you can deal with.

Still, we think Sigma produces some of the best zoom lenses and although it wouldn’t be our pick as one of the best lenses for astrophotography, it’s sure to suit most enthusiast photographers.

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Key Specs: An incredibly useful and versatile lens with a focal length range of 24-70mm, its fast constant aperture of f/2.8 ensures bright images at any focal length. It weighs 1.83 lbs (830g) and measures 4.92 x 3.46 inches (125 x 88mm) and includes a removable lens hood. It has a zoom lock switch, an af/mf switch and a custom button.

Consensus: A very useful lens that produces pleasing results without breaking the bank. While there are trade-offs, we think it’s a fantastic alternative and definitely worth the money.

Buy if: You want a great lens but can’t stretch your budget to the native Sony GM lineup.

Don’t buy if: You want the most lightweight and compact option, or if you’re a pro who wants the best of the best.

Alternative models: To save a few more hundred dollars, you could consider the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2. Its widest focal length won’t suit astro, but if you don’t mind losing a few mm on the wide end (that you gain on the far end), it’s more lightweight and cheaper. 

If you focus more on astrophotography, check out the Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM lens — which is surprisingly, around the same price as Sigma’s version. We reviewed it and thought it was fantastic for astrophotography.

Check out our Cyber Monday 2023 deals page for a roundup of the best discounts and deals on telescopes, binoculars, cameras, star projectors, drones, Lego and much more.

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Participants explored the art of wreath making while learning more about Hawaii Island’s native plants during a workshop Saturday in Hilo.

The Big Island Invasive Species Council and the Department of Forestry and Wildlife hosted a two-hour workshop to show people how to make wreaths with native plants while also teaching about the significance of those plants.

BIISC and DOFAW spent about four hours cutting and picking all the native plants used during the workshop from a forest on the slopes of Mauna Loa. Since the class couldn’t go to the forest together, instructors described how to identify and pick the plants correctly with a permit.

“The workshop originally started in 2015 as a way to educate people on rapid ohia death and how we can use other native plants to make a beautiful wreath for the holidays,” said Molly Murphy, invasive plant prevention coordinator with BIISC. “Before making the wreaths, we also go over different native plants, how to get a permit to pick plants, how to pick sustainably and how to enter forest with love and peace in your heart.”

After learning about the cultural importance of native plants and how to pick sustainably, participants started the creative process by cutting ti leaves and wrapping them around the wreath.

After pinning the leaves together in a circle and making a rope to hang the wreath, they then chose plants such as, uluhe, ohia ha and ama‘u, to create a design for each wreath.

Chelsea Ferrera joined her mother, Judith, for the class and was excited to make a wreath while spending quality time with her mom.

“I’ve never made a wreath before and I didn’t think I would be able to make it look this good, but these plants are perfect,” Chelsea Ferrera said. “This was really fun to do together.”

While everyone used the same plants, each wreath was unique as the creativity flowed differently from each student.

“This is always a great activity for people to learn and the holidays are a great time to do this high quality outreach and make a difference,” Murphy said. “I think people get more from learning what they can do versus what they can’t do.”

BIISC is also hosting its first series of Christmas tree planting classes next month for free, however, both classes are sold out.

According to Murphy, many invasive species have been brought to Hawaii on imported Christmas trees, so BIISC is taking the time to teach participants how to pot their own Mexican cypress as an alternative.

BIISC is consistently hosting classes, workshops and hands-on activities throughout the year to help educate the community on the importance of protecting the island from invasive species.

More information on BIISC and its programs can be found at biisc.org, or on its social media pages.

Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com

Between AD 850 and 1250, New Mexico’s ancient Puebloan communities would come together among the vast desert dunes of Chaco Canyon, to share their traditions and knowledge. Their descendants, the Chacoan people, were known for their incredibly complex and well-organised ways of life – from monumental architecture to far-reaching trade channels – and this incredible know-how is still evident in the structures seen at Chaco Culture National Historical Park today. Clans are said to have gathered in multi-story ‘Great Houses’, containing hundreds of rooms – that are thought to have taken decades, even centuries, to build – to hold ceremonies and celebrations. In fact, Chaco culture is thought to be at the core of several Navajo ways of life today.

Tourism is especially important to Chaco because it’s surrounded by one of the most productive gas and oil basins in the US. Increasing interest from fossil fuel companies to drill new wells in the area has the potential to destroy these sacred lands of present-day Navajo and Pueblo tribes. Therefore, a visit to Chaco Culture National Historical Park is more important than ever, as it shows the government that Indigenous land can still be lucrative for the state, without selling out to fossil fuel giants. Within the park, ranger-led, accessible tours share the history of archaeological discoveries. Alternatively, four backcountry hiking trails (Wijiji, South Mesa, Pueblo Alto, and Peñasco Blanco) will take you past some of the most significant cultural aspects of Chaco. The shortest, Wijiji Trail is a three-mile round-trip and well worth the time. Stop by the visitor’s centre to find out what’s open (weather-permitting). In 2013, Chaco received International Dark Sky designation, making it one of the most remarkable regions in the world to see the Milky Way in all its glory.