◆ Personality ◆

Nendo is the “nice” one. A gentle and calm spirit, he seems to take a simple joy in everything he does.

And he does a little bit of everything: chasing the surf, collecting seeds and shells, hiding under the prickly pears, bobbing on the water, sunning himself among the rocks, stowing away in ships and kayaks... Nendo can’t be described as “busy”, but he’s certainly never bored. He takes the world on at his own pace, which moves at about half a mile per hour at best.

Nendo can fill his days all on his own, but he seems to enjoy sharing them with other ghosts, too. Many esk find his easy-going attitude and unhurried energy soothing. He’s more inclined to quiet commensalism than to “asking” anything of others– even for something as small as a helping hand, or a moment of their attention. Still, he’s known to play simple games now and then.

Mostly, Nendo just wants to nap and explore his haunt in good company. Everything else can be accomplished in its own time.

◆ Boundary ◆

Nendo lives at Pimu, or Santa Catalina Island, which is off the coast of California. Like the other Channel Islands, Pimu exists at the ecological crossroads of the Pacific ocean, the California coast, the interior desert, the temperate North, and beyond. The island is a refuge for many endemic species who trace their ancestry to relatives from abroad– some of which have gone extinct on the mainland, but are survived by their island counterparts.

These communities exist even though Pimu has never been geographically connected to the mainland. At some point or another, all of its residents have made the 20-mile journey across the ocean in order to reach the island. In fact, Pimu’s isolation is the very reason that it contains such a rich assembly of relic and endemic species; those that couldn’t cope with changes on the mainland found sanctuary at the island. Meanwhile, newcomers were cut off from their relatives on the mainland, and they quickly became distinct species specialized for island life.

Pimu has a rich human history, too. First called home by the Tongva and Chumash, Pimu became a house as well as a hub for trade and industry. Here, the Tongva and Chumash build ti’ats and tomols, which are redwood boats waterproofed with asphaltum from the naturally-occurring tarballs that wash up on the coast. Sailing has historically connected the Tongva and Chumash to many peoples along the Pacific coast, as well as the intricate inland trade network of the wider Americas. So interconnected is the island with the mainland that the Pimu Catalina Island Archaeology Project has mapped the movement of goods from Pimu to abroad. At least one axe was found at Pimu that was crafted by the Hohokam of the Salt River Valley, in south-central Arizona. Likewise, Chumash goods have traveled with the Quechan as far East as the Colorado River Valley–and probably beyond.

This legacy endures today. The Chumash hold an annual tomol crossing between the Channel Islands and the coast of California. Similarly, the ti’at is experiencing a reawakening among a new generation of Tongva wayfarers. Though Pimu has endured radical change, it’s efforts like these that close the loop between island and mainland, people and home.

◆ Nature Features ◆

Sovuuchey ("manzanita," Tongva) ◆ Santa Catalina Island Manzanita (English) ◆ Arctostaphylos catalinae is looped around Nendo’s neck. Endemic to Pimu, the Santa Catalina Island manzanita has a unique relationship with a fellow endemic, the island fox (Urocyon littoralis.)

On the mainland, manzanita seeds generally germinate after fires. But on Pimu, wildfires are relatively rare. How does the Santa Catalina Island manzanita reproduce in a fireless environment? We’d expect the plant to struggle–and yet it’s all over the island.

The island fox is the secret to the manzanita’s success. When the fox eats the manzanita’s fruits, the seeds become softened in its stomach and are later dispersed around the island. From here, they can germinate and grow into a new plant. In this way, the two have provided for one another through deep time.

Interestingly, the manzanita may also owe a debt of gratitude to the Chumash. It’s thought that they brought the island fox to Pimu from the other Channel Islands, perhaps as companion or hunting animals.