We, the direct lineal descendants of the Chumash villages of Mikiw and Kuyamu, write in strong support of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council’s effort to acquire and protect Dos Pueblos Ranch.
Dos Pueblos Ranch is sacred homeland to our people. Our sixth great-grandfather, Chief Beato Temicucat of Kuyamu, and our sixth great-grandmother, Delphina Maria of Mikiw, together with their clan and generations of our ancestors, are buried upon this land. Itis holy ground to our families and our Chumash relatives, representing both our ancestral presence and our spiritual continuity.
As descendant families of Mikiw and Kuyamu, we express our deep gratitude for the invitation to become tribal stakeholders in the stewardship and future of this land. This moment offers us the opportunity to reconnect with our ancestral homeland and to bring Smu’wic — the people — home once again.
The reacquisition of Dos Pueblos Ranch will allow us, together with our relatives and the wider Santa Barbara community, to:
- Reconnect to our ancestors and homeland.
- Live upon and actively steward the land again.
- Restore Smu’wic presence to this sacred place.
- Reestablish Dos Pueblos as a traditional place for Chumash ceremonies.
- Share cultural knowledge with our community and the public.
- Provide a place for healing, renewal, and prayer.
- Host Chumash marriages and other life ceremonies.
- Visit, honor, and protect our family burial sites.
This vision is both a return and a restoration. It is a path of healing for our families, our people, and our homelands. We wholeheartedly endorse and support the Northern Chumash Tribal Council in this historic endeavor and stand ready to work with ourChumash relatives and the Santa Barbara community to ensure that Dos Pueblos Ranch is honored, protected, and cared for in perpetuity.
