each other’s company,” Poulton said.
WHY SANTA MONICA?
“The City by the Sea” was chosen as the location for the giant fern because of its clean beaches and the Kiwi’s affinity for warm weather, shopping and proximity to Los Angeles, according to Poulton.
“Santa Monica is very well known in New Zealand and a lot of New Zealanders will come here on vacation,” Poulton said. “It is very proactive, clean and the (Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau) has been very helpful and are happy to have us here.”
Organizers raised money for the massive dig by creating, and then selling, 10,517 T-shirts — each featuring a small piece of yarn from the socks that New Zealand’s own Sir Edmund Hillary wore as the first person to climb Mount Everest.
The number reflects the amount of miles between New Zealand’s Bethells Beach, where the first fern was created, and the Santa Monica Bay, said Mike Mizrahi, an installation artist who envisioned the massive fern.
“We are hoping that this will be a link to our brothers across the Pacific,” Mizrahi said. “We hope that this can be a beacon to the rest of the world.”
The day’s festivities began around 8 a.m. with a Tongva tribe welcome ceremony and blessing of the sand sculpture, followed by backhoes digging up large clumps of sand for builders to mold into giant fern leaves. Members of the Maori tribe were on hand all the while to share their culture.
Most seemed to be in good spirits given the unseasonably warm weather and clear skies.
“You couldn’t ask for a better day than today,” said Olivia Chumacero, a resident of Echo Park and member of the Raramuri tribe from Chihuahua, Mexico.
Chumacero was on hand to bless the project, having been called by the Maori, who were seeking permission from the native ancestors to build on the beach.
“We came to offer a traditional blessing, calling on the spirits of air and water,” Chumacero said. “It’s nice to come here and celebrate the signing of a treaty. For our people, there have not been good memories when it comes to treaties.
“It seems all the treaties we signed were reneged.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 6, 2007. Read the original PDF.