Today is the 126th event of the AYLUS Oakland Gardens Branch on October 12, 2024. In celebration of Indigenous People’s Day, we partnered with Maureen to maintain the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground Conservancy as it is the final resting place for members of the original tribes living in Queens when Europeans first arrived.
During this event, the older members help bring tools off from the truck and zip-tie up banners for Maureen, the Co-Chair of the Conservancy. Our volunteers split up into groups to increase our efficiency and to grow together as a team. The older members help with mulching the trees and bushes in the conservancy. They started off with the smaller trees, making donuts instead of volcanoes around the tree. The mulch was spread with the thickness of around 3-4 inches, not close to the base of the tree as the retained moisture will cause the base to rot and die off, killing the tree. After they are finished with the small trees, they then spread some mulch around the bushes that surround the dedication tablet for the Native Americans that had died. After they finished using the mulch pile, they also made sure to rake the mulch that is on the ground into a pile to use on the bushes so that there is no wastage. While our older members do this, younger members help with planting daffodil bulbs. The holes for the bulbs were planted along the fence, and at least 4 inches apart plus 2 inches deep. These holes have to be big enough to hold 5 bulbs for the coming spring. After people are done with their tasks, they help rake leaves, storing them in paper bags to reduce plastic waste.
After we finished our tasks, we were introduced to Chief Little Fox of the Mattinnecock Indian Tribe. He prayed for all of us, conducting a ritual to settle the spirits in order to keep harmony between the living and the dead. All of this is for the celebration and recognition of Indigenous People’s Day. He prayed to the four directions, North, East, South, and West, saying the prayers in his language. He prayed for current generations and the future generations, to the faithful great creator, for us to move on, to walk away from the problem.
We would like to thank Chief Little Fox for coming today, showing us the cultural practices of his tribe. We would like to thank the members that came to help out with the event. We would also like to thank Maureen for her guidance, help, and food during the event, and we really hope to work with you again in the future. Thank you for continuing to better the community and making it a better place.
Our volunteers:
Jia Qi Liu (Angela): 4 hours
Sophia ShiHan You : 4 hours
Stephanie ShiRan You : 4 hours
Justin Cheong : 4 hours
Shirley Chiu : 4 hours
Hong Hao Liu : 4 hours
Nina Yang : 4 hours
Sophia Li: 4 hours
Yifei Mei : 4 hours
Alexander Lu : 4 hours
Junlong Mei : 4 hours
Karis Lau : 4 hours
Ian Lee : 4 hours
Elina Lee : 4 hours
Lucas Chen : 4 hours
Ryan Wu : 4 hours
Evaline Yuel : 4 hours
Zhengyilan Fang : 4 hours
Shiqi Zheng : 4 hours
Emerson Chen : 4 hours
Albert Tang : 4 hours
Martin Qu : 4 hours
Ethan Dai : 4 hours
Brandon Lin : 4 hours
Aiden Lin : 4 hours
Anthony Lin : 4 hours
Iokseng Lin : 4 hours
Ioklee Lin : 4 hours
Ioknor Lin : 4 hours
Nerissa Xu : 4 hours
Paxton Xu : 4 hours
Alana Lin : 4 hours
Sabrina Gao : 4 hours
Derrick Gao : 4 hours
Sophia Gao : 4 hours
Kaisa Wu : 4 hours
Ziheng Jiao : 4 hours
Khloe Yang : 4 hours
Michelle Song : 4 hours
Tiffany Pan : 4 hours
Sophia Xu : 4 hours
Anthony Xu : 4 hours
Ivan Cao : 4 hours
Shizhen Li : 4 hours
Steven Zhu : 4 hours
Evan Li : 4 hours
Lucas Yuan : 4 hours
Joanna Qu : 4 hours
Jasmine Qu : 4 hours
Bowen Chen : 3.5 hours
Alex Lu: 3.5 hours
Rex He: 3.5 hours
Orion Zheng: 3.5 hours
Leon Chen: 2.5 hours
Sophia Lu: 2 hours
Parent Adviser Team:
Teng Fei Liu: 4.5 hours
Hsinhui Liao: 4.5 hours
Cui Fang Li: 4.5 hours
Report written by: Jia Qi Liu (Angela)
