Land Leader

Bennae Calac

Bennae M. Calac is the granddaughter of Mary Conceptiona Pachito Calac of Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians and Maximillian Calac of Rincon Band of Luiseño Indian. She is the daughter to Edward Cornelius Calac of Pauma Band of Luiseno Indians and Esther Calac of the Huichol People of Jalisco. Bennae is an enrolled member of the Pauma Band of LuiseñoIndians, and she is also a proud descendant of the Huichol People of Jalisco. Bennae is honored to be the parent of Malia Tuchily Hill and Edward Onoo Po Hill. 

Bennae is a strong Native woman, mother, business owner, mentor, teacher and leader. Over the last 35 years, Bennae Calac has represented Pauma in various political, cultural and administrative capacities. 

She has served as the repatriation chair since the age of twenty-one and has dedicated her life’s work to the preservation of the culture and traditions of her people. Bennae is dedicated to supporting the preservation and revitalization of Luiseño songs and dances and works with her own children and local youth programs to ensure that this traditional knowledge is instilled in the younger generation. Bennae was elected as Committee Member to the Pauma Band’s Tribal Council in December of 2008 and served another 3-year term as Sec/Treasurer. In this capacity, Bennae interacts with the youth, culture, public and political relations. 

Bennae is constantly answering the call in the community to serve as speakers on issues ranging from native wellness, health advocacy, domestic violence, women’s issues and cultural preservation. 

Bennae serves on numerous boards and committees, such as the Repatriation Chair for the Pauma Band; President for the Strong Hearted Native Indian Women’s Coalition; Chairwoman for the Native American Fire Prevention Alliance; Board Member for the Pauma Band’s Youth Council; and Board Member for the Pauma Band’s Education & Cultural Board. Co-Founder and Executive Director for the 7G Foundation and Chairman of the Board for Onoo Po Strategies and Oct of 2023 she was appointed by California Governor Newsom as a Commissioner for the Native American Heritage Commission.

Bennae’s professional expertise includes working in the areas of cultural resource protection, Indian child welfare, substance abuse and domestic violence counseling and tribal law enforcement. Bennae is also an experienced and passionate entrepreneur. In 1999, Bennae established Native Ground Monitoring and Research, a nonprofit cultural preservation corporation, dedicated to protecting and promoting the cultural resources in the southern California region. Native Grounds goal is to support and enhance cultural preservation through language, culture, history and archeological preservation. Bennae took that company, another step and established her first LLC. Native Grounds, Monitoring, Research and Consulting, LLC. She is also the owner of Nation Protective Service, which later partnered with Native Protection International, Inc., a veteran, native owned company out of South Dakota. Both Nation Protective Service and Native Protection International, Inc. are security agencies serving Indian Country and protecting Tribal leaders from coast to coast. In 2017, she established First Peoples Marketing, a full marketing and advertising agency, which provides services throughout Indian Country and Private and Government Sectors.  Most recently Bennae established 2 new ventures, she is the Co-Founded to the 7G Foundation, (501)(c)(3) organization that provide Native American’s, other Indigenous People and communities assistance in obtaining their goals and the next level thru combing Athletics’, Education, Health-Mind & Body and Community.  She has also established Onoo Po Strategies (OPS) and is Board President, which is a holding company that will be multifaceted with division in Development, Technology, Distribution, Marketing and Environmental. 

Bennae is also well connected in Indian Country, Corporate America and Globally, which assist in providing economic opportunities for tribes and organization who feel the need to expand and diversify. 

Bennae attributes her business and community service success to her parents and many tribal leaders, some who have come and gone, but the majority of whom definitely continue to guide her through her life’s journey. Without hesitation, Bennae participates in cultural activities and preservation, but most importantly, she serves to teach and encourage others how to protect, preserve and celebrate their culture. She is a role model to all Native people, but especially the young Native women. Many people, both local and nation-wide, have stated that Bennae is one of those rare friends and colleagues who is always willing to go the extra mile when something needs to get done or someone needs a hand. It seems Bennae is always striving to come up with answers to complex challenges, even with little or no budget, and does not believe that "no" is an acceptable answer because she clearly sees the goals and knows that by working together, anything is possible. She is passionate in her commitment to make life better for her people, and this circle has extended wider and wider and has become very inclusive. Bennae has experienced so much throughout the years, and she is not afraid to share her personal and professional experiences, even the difficult ones, in order to light someone else's way along the path and help be a guide through the tougher choices of life. Her heart, energy and drive to get things done have been an inspiration to all, and this generosity of spirit and action are what sets her apart from so many of the other hard-working people in Indian Country.