Authentic Ethnicity in Question

Originally published 01:00 p.m., January 18, 2007
Updated 12:54 p.m., February 22, 2007

By Martha Sadler

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American Indian Health & Services Asks: ‘Are You Native American Enough?’

by Martha SadlerPaul Wellman • Photographs by

A court case that began January 17 could determine once and for all the fate of American Indian Health & Services (AIHS), which is the third incarnation of a clinic first established in the 1970s to serve Native Americans in Santa Barbara. The case, brought by four former administrators who claim they were fired because they were not Native American, threatens the survival of the clinic, which provides medical care not only to Native Americans but to everybody from uninsured workers to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Serious as it is, however, the lawsuit is merely one aspect of the upheaval the clinic has been undergoing for more than a year. By now, the board of directors accused of setting the policy to replace non-Native-American employees has itself been replaced for not being Native American enough.

Most of those former boardmembers are Coastal Band Chumash, a group whose claim to Chumash identity has been a topic of hot dispute. Not only the boardmembers but also the clinic’s Coastal Band Chumash patients — who number in the hundreds — were disqualified from receiving free care as Native Americans. From the Coastal Band’s point of view, one of the bitter ironies is that their members were named as intended beneficiaries when the applications were made to establish the original dental clinic on Milpas Street and both of its successors — Urban Indian Health on mid State Street and this one, AIHS, which has been operating since 1996 in a sprawling complex of offices in the Modoc Shopping Center. The Coastal Band played an active role in founding and perpetuating the Santa Barbara clinic, which is one of only eight in the state, two of which recently became referral services.

There is no question the clinic has had its share of problems, twice folding due to financial difficulties and recently going through a series of executive directors in rapid succession. When Al Granados, the current executive director, was hired two years ago, the clinic’s board of directors thought they had struck gold. Granados had retired to Santa Ynez a couple years previously and was beginning to get restless when he heard that AIHS badly needed an executive director. He had spend a quarter century serving as an administrative officer with Indian Health Services (IHS), which monitors Native American clinics and hospitals on and off reservations, and with that organization’s parent bureaucracy, the Department of Health and Human Services. His skill and knowledge outshone those of any of the former executive directors. He had even served hands-on at other clinics. A Vietnam War-era Air Force captain, he exuded competence and authority. And as the son of a Washoe mother whose experiences as a young domestic worker in Oakland illustrated the value of services catering to urban Native Americans, his commitment seemed heartfelt.

The lawsuit, filed by the terminated employees in 2005, claims that getting rid of all the non-Native-American employees had been a goal of AIHS since as far back as 2003. However, it was not until Granados came on board that it started happening. An all-Native-American board was elected three months after Granados was hired. The suit, however, zeros in specifically on Granados and Maria Cordero, who was the board chair. It accuses them of colluding in private to fire the plaintiffs — all highly paid administrative staffers — and replace them with Native Americans. One of the plaintiffs’ prize pieces of evidence is the undisputed fact that during one board meeting, Cordero asked a visiting IHS official, Urban Services Coordinator Arveda Nelson, whether non-Native-American employees could be terminated in order to clear the way for Native American hirees. The answer was a clear no — employees cannot be terminated just because they are not Native American, though Native Americans may be given preference during the hiring process. Cordero testified that when she asked the question about firing non-Native Americans, she already knew the answer; she merely wanted to emphasize the point to those boardmembers who were agitating for more Native American staff.

In sworn testimony, Granados also strongly countered the allegation that his termination of the administrative staff had anything to do with the board’s desire to see Native Americans in those positions. He said he fired them as part of his overall plan to improve the clinic’s efficiency. He replaced them with contract services and his own, more highly qualified team — none of whom is Native American. The plaintiffs asked for $2 million to settle this dispute out of court, which is the amount for which the clinic happens to be insured against personnel actions. The two sides failed to come to terms during a court-mandated settlement conference, so a trial was scheduled to begin January 17 in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge James Brown.

If Granados’s motives for firing the administrative staff are murky, the second prong in his scheme to reform the clinic hinged unambiguously on ethnicity. The board first got wind of it last August, when Granados announced that the clinic would have to check the documentation of Native Americans receiving free services to make sure they were entitled to them. Also, because the board was supposed to be at least 51 percent Native American, the boardmembers would have to provide federal documentation from the Bureau of Indian Affairs that designated them to be Native Americans. This was followed up in September with letters demanding patients and boardmembers submit proof of their federal certification, a standard far more limiting than the state and local recognition that had previously been accepted.

Clients were instructed to verify their eligibility before their next visit. Two weeks later, each boardmember received notification that “your position has been vacated.” The only exception was Michael Young, a documented Blackfoot tribal member, whose initials appeared on the letter claiming that as the only federally qualified Native American boardmember, Young had the authority to dismiss the rest of the board and replace them with Native Americans. Cordero, a federally certified Chumash and a Coastal Band member, had already resigned. She could not be reached for comment for this article.

After the first set of letters went out, boardmembers said they tried to set up a meeting with Granados but found him unavailable to them. The day after they received the final letter, they arranged to meet at the clinic offices. The first to arrive were three elders — Darlene Hall, Vera Quiroga, and Rosie Uribe — who were told to leave the premises. When they refused, Sheriff’s deputies were called to escort them outside while clinic staff locked the doors. A few days later, the board met in emergency session and decided to fire Granados, figuring he served at their pleasure, not the other way around. They marched to the bank to remove his name from the signature cards for the clinic’s account and succeeded, briefly, but Granados managed to reverse the order and get their names removed. They called a locksmith to change the clinic locks, but found he had beat them to the punch.

The legitimacy of Coastal Band members’ claims to Chumash identity has been a topic of controversy ever since the band’s official formation in 1969. A paper published last year by anthropologists Brian Haley and Larry Wilcoxon refers to the Coastal Band as “neo-Chumash,” offering them as a prime example of ethnicity as a political, emotional, and even imaginative construct. The core members of the Coastal Band are documented descendants of the original colonizers and settlers from Mexico in the 1700s, Haley and Wilcoxon assert. They have always been a tightly knit clan, according to the anthropologists. Depending on the era and the individual’s social status, clan members have been variously referred to in the historical record as Mexican, Indian, Mestizo, Mulatto, Spanish, White, Mexican American, Chumash, and now, neo-Chumash.

The group includes numerous lines descended from a soldier born in Baja California named Mariano Cordero, the paper continues. While some of the Cordero descendents married Chumash and had children, others didn’t. According to Haley and Wilcoxon’s study, the Coastal Band indiscriminately includes both, as well as Santa Ynez Band descendants and others who happen to have been living in the area when the Coastal Band gave itself that name and started distributing membership cards. Its beginnings may have had some economic motivation, and some emotional motivations because in the late 1960s being Native American carried social status.

Ernestine De Soto has long been regarded by anthropologists as the ideal Chumash descendant because she has certain ancient Chumash mitochondrial DNA passed down through the maternal line and because her mother was a documented native speaker. A devout Catholic, De Soto has often taken positions in opposition to the Coastal Band Chumash, especially regarding their practice of reconstructed Chumash traditional religious ceremonies and their claims to Chumash remains from anthropological digs. Even she, however, concedes that her family grew up in the same neighborhood with the other old families who now call themselves Chumash. While she persuaded her older sister to tear up her Coastal Band membership card, De Soto recounted with considerable amusement, her nephew refuses to do so.

Until now, the clinic had always used very inclusive guidelines for providing free service to Native Americans. Declining to take a stringent anthropological stance, the Indian Health Service Manual published on the IHS Web site defines beneficiaries of urban Native American health clinics so broadly as to include any “Indian of Canadian or Mexican origin recognized by any Indian tribe or group as a member of an Indian community entitled to care within the local service area," and further defines them as someone who “actively participates in tribal affairs,” someone “regarded by the community in which he lives as an Indian,” or “any other reasonable factor indicative of Indian descent.”

It is clear where Granados comes down on the question of the Coastal Band’s Chumash identity. As far as he is concerned, he said, everybody should be entitled to free healthcare, but the reality is that such resources are limited and the Coastal Band is using resources that should go to certifiable Native Americans. Santa Barbara is also the only urban clinic in the state that still offers its services for free to Native Americans regardless of their ability to pay. He said he wants to institute a sliding fee scale for all patients — even for Native Americans. One of his purposes, he said, is to ensure that urban services are available to descendants of the Santa Ynez Band, which is a federally recognized tribe.

In addition, many Native Americans from other tribes live in Santa Barbara. Granados said he would love to expand to Ventura where many needs go unmet, and that he would like to fill the board with high-powered executives and public officials in order to increase its private fundraising capacity. While all of this sounds quite crisp and professional, the long-term fate of the clinic is problematic, if only because a Native American’s descendants are entitled to the federal funding that supports urban clinics for only two generations after he or she leaves the reservation. And as for that federal funding, President George W. Bush’s 2007 budget cut all funding for urban Native American clinics, but Congress later restored it.

“It would be very easy to say, ‘Oh, yes, yes, oh my God, it all lines up,’ ” said former boardmember Martha Jaimes. “This guy was sent in to destroy the clinic. But do we want to do that, or do we want to stay focused on what to do with our own people?” She and others in the community particularly regretted the loss of services to Coastal Band elders, including van service to bring them to the clinic and monthly get togethers.

Some of the Coastal Band Chumash have been traveling over the hill to receive medical care at the Santa Ynez Chumash Reservation, which operates on a sliding scale, takes insurance if clients have it, and also provides all of its Native-American-oriented extra services for free to Coastal Band Chumash, according to the receptionist. “What is at stake is our Indian-ness,” said one Coastal Band member. “What helps is that our cousins recognize us.”

Last December, about 60 Coastal Band members gathered at Las Positas Park for an annual Winter Solstice/Christmas gathering. Organized by former boardmember Rosie Uribe, it was a sedate dinner during which children, parents, and grandparents from several families celebrated their heritage with Chumash prayer and song. Children ceremoniously conferred handmade Chumash gifts to elders. Santa Claus did not make an appearance, as he had in previous years, because Uribe said she was trying to make the event more solstice-oriented, but the children received Christmas stockings. The crowd included people whose mitochondrial DNA marked them as genuine genetic Chumash descendants, others with no such markers but whose children and great-grandchildren were raised to observe Chumash traditions, and still others who are simply Santa Ynez Band descendants. The extended family included college professors, environmental activists, daycare providers, and a young man named Black Bear whose face was adorned with Polynesian-style markings including a stylized whale's tails on his forehead. Like their island brethren, he explained, Chumash are people of the Pacific Ocean. It would seem that the Coastal Band Chumash’s sense of ethnic identity transcends — fortunately for them — the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ definition of an Indian.

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The business about mitochondrial DNA markers needs a bit more explanation, I think.

First, having a "Chumash" mitochondrial marker is no sure indicator, by itself, that one's ancestry is largely or mostly Chumash. It merely indicates that the person's female-line ancestor (i.e. mother's mother's mother's mother, etc.) was Chumash. For example, you could have a Chumash great-great-great grandmother along the female line yet be otherwise of entirely European ancestry, and your mitochondrial DNA would have the marker. And, for the same reason, not having the marker is not a sure indicator of non-Chumash ancestry.

Finally, there's the question of these "Chumash" signatures. I suspect they identify certain lineages within the ancestral Chumash population, but there are probably lother authentic Chumash lineages which don't match the signature.

Genetics isn't that cut-and-dried that it can tell groups apart in this way. For example, there are certain "signatures" that are specific to, say, Ireland, but others that are general to all of Western Europe. An Irish person could have either, and if she had the "Western Europe" signature that doesn't make her any less authentically Irish.

Hopefully I have now throughly confused the issue!

S. A. Forrest
January 18, 2007 at 9:40 p.m.

A few corrections I feel I need to make. In the article it states on page 23 bottom of third paragraph,."...proof of their federal certification, a standard far more limiting than state and local recognition that had previously been accepted." There is no STATE recognition. california does not have any process for State Recognition at all. Some people seem to think they do but they don't.

The real issue is that in the past few years there have been some pressure from outside sources that are forcing accountiablity for tribes espcially ones that have casinos, so through out the state there has been a push for accounabilty, with federal funds being issued the matter then falled under the government codes. In That code list several diffinitions requirements but what is undefined is the statement of..." or other organized tribe"... the indian health representative for the santa barbara area is Harry Weiss. The contracting officer states that the real issue is organized tribe is not defined in california code or governmental code. So there for the only qualifications that a native can fall under is the federal diffinition of what a native american indian is. And the coastal band does not meet the federal recognition requirements. It will take a Judge to make that deffinition on what a organized tribe is.

Tribal members and leaders for the santa barbara area are still yet to be defined. The names of who you have listed are far from being tribal. Blackbear is not even chumash. It is a crime to the culture for you or other to not even do your homework. The real point of this article should be kept on tract.

It is time that real chumash stood up and made our presence heard. The real facts will be made aware with in the next few months to come.

end.

Incorrect
January 19, 2007 at 12:34 p.m.

Forrest is certainly correct in his statement that mitochondrial DNA cannot be a litmus test for whether or not someone has Chumash ancestry, because it only documents one’s direct female line and does not always reveal unique, tribe-specific markers. Over the past fifteen years, I have been involved in a study of California Indian genetic lineages and can report that our investigations thus far indicate that there are particular mitochondrial DNA markers that do distinguish Chumash Indians from other groups in California (see “Genetics, Linguistics, and Prehistoric Migrations,” Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 2006, Vol. 26, No. 1). Thus, in some instances mitochondrial DNA research can help people in their efforts to identify Native American ancestors, but only if there is an unbroken female line back to a female member of a particular tribe.

As an anthropologist who has lived in Santa Barbara for nearly forty years, I am well acquainted with the different groups who today identify themselves as “Chumash,” and have frequently worked with members of all of these groups to trace their ancestry through archival records. In my experience, members of the media often fail to appreciate the depth of concern of people from historical Chumash families that their culture has been appropriated by other Santa Barbarans who have reformulated their identity to become “Neo-Chumash” since the 1970s.

The controversy that has erupted over who receives free care at American Indian Health Services has been a long time brewing. In past years, bona fide Chumash descendants have reported that staff members told them that they wouldn’t receive services there unless they became card-carrying members of the Coastal Band, which they had no desire to join. In light of such charges, the changes brought by the new director are a needed corrective.

John Johnson
January 19, 2007 at 5:37 p.m.

when you start pautting DNA before principles and personalities, you are heading for trouble. Tribal people have historically chosen their members as much as they have given birth to them. They chose them based on the merit of the individual human being. Once the government, and now science, started making up their own definitions about who is Indian and who isn't, there has been othing but trouble. Who cares what your DNA is if you don't deserve to be called an Indian? If there's no honor in the human being, there's no honor in the DNA.

Corina Roberts
January 19, 2007 at 8:18 p.m.

Spell check...make the girl use spell-check!

Corina Roberts
January 19, 2007 at 9:32 p.m.

Let me see---it's not only blood that matters, as much as the followers of the Human Kennel Club philosophy for indians would like to think.

It's citizenship in an indian nation.
Indian tribes are sovereign nations --similar to France or Germany.
A friend in Germany said to me that if you took a good look at the geneology of the people in his village, you could not find a person who had more than 1/4 German blood due to the proximity of France. Yet, they are all German citizens, no doubt.
Al's a good example. He's got indian blood from his mom--(I don't know how much) but you wouldn't peg him for a native in a crowd because he's got so much white blood.But he's a card-carrying citizen of his nation, much like citizens of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma that have no minumum blood quantum, so you can be a tiny, tiny fraction and still be enrolled if your distant ancestor is on a certain roll.

That's because the indian nation itself gets to decide if it will have a blood quantum or not and who it will accept from what rolls or lists of families--how it will constitute it's citizenship, just like any other nation does and that's fine--but:
Most of the coastal band has more native blood in their toes than some of these others have in their whole bodies..
do they have Mexican-Indian blood?
Yes.
so do the Santa Ynez folks.
do some have white blood?
Yes--so do the Santa Ynez folks.
do some have Filipino blood?
Yes--so do the Santa Ynez folks.
do they have blood from other indian nations?
Yes--so do the Santa Ynez folks and they and all Chumash always did.
You cannot tell me when the spanish came over the hill that the Chumash were practicing some form of uber-xenophobia that forbade them to intermarry with the neighboring nations. If they did, they'd be just about the only non-isolated group on the planet that did that.Didn't make them any less culturally chumash.

And if it's about having more or less chumash blood--how many of a well-documented "blooded" certain family in Ojai are pulling down those big casino per caps? last I heard, wasn't happening because they weren't "Santa Ynez People". Maybe that's changed, maybe not.

Unfortunately, what constitutes an indian nation has been defined by the conquering power of the current "empire",America, which spread over everything just like Rome did to her "provinces".
some nations got lucky, some got treaties, some got their treaties kinda "lost", some got annihilated, some got ignored, some got scattered, and some got recognised, then "terminated", then re-recognized, etc, etc..
For an indian nation to receive current federal recognition (or re-recognition)by the american government it would have to do so according to seven criteria involving continuity of customs, government, etc.which many native nations could not have passed even 100 years ago because of all the oppression and destruction and genocide. Back then, they punished you for trying to retain your culture and tried to assimilate you--now they punish you for having acquiesed to it to save your hide..

I don't know if the Santa Ynez band could have passed these unfair requirements even back at the turn of the century when the indian agent decided to make a reservation only for the families living around the Mission.
You have to admit, they are in the process of "getting their culture back" as much as the Coastals are. Why else would they hire Applegate, a white man, to teach them their own language?
Both these groups, Coastal and Santa Ynez contain Chumash Indian families--one is composed of families that just got a little luckier than the others,IMO.

The Coastals are in the process of submitting themselves for federal recognition and the BIA will make the decision.

D. LaPuette
January 19, 2007 at 10:33 p.m.

Pleas someone contact Mrs. Franco and Ms. Hames family for commets, dna does not come into this Mr. Joshnson if it wasn't for Mr. Travis Hudson and Mrs.Franco you would have nothing, why does Mr. Joshnson tell one family member that they are chumash and another one they are not.

Loretta
January 20, 2007 at 8:38 a.m.

As a former researcher in evolutionary biology with experience collecting and analyzing mitochondrial DNA and using that data to establish evolutionary patterns (a field referred to as molecular phylogenetics), I have to agree that Forrest is absolutely correct “in his statement that mitochondrial DNA cannot be a litmus test for whether or not someone has Chumash ancestry, because it only documents one’s direct female line and does not always reveal unique, tribe-specific markers.” Although Dr. Johnson has used mitochondrial DNA in his work, he is not an evolutionary biologist nor is he a geneticist. Molecular phylogenetics is a small field of highly trained specialists and unfortunately these techniques are frequently used incorrectly by people outside the field. Dr. Johnson’s work is published in Anthropological journals and although it is reviewed by his peers, his peers are not likely to be well versed in these techniques either. Even though these kinds of problems are common in interdisciplinary studies, researchers should still be encouraged in their efforts to branch out from their narrow academic fields and incorporate exciting new techniques that can shed light from another angle. So although I feel that there are some important errors in Dr. Johnson’s work, I have no problem with his attempts to incorporate these techniques.

More importantly, even if Dr. Johnson’s academic research was not suspect, it would still not give him the authority to speak on the issue of modern Chumash ethnic identity. This is both wholly inappropriate and unprofessional regardless of his academic experience. For some reason he has chosen to involve himself in the politics of the local Chumash community and even goes as far as to make comments to the press which imply that he represents the views of the “authentic” Chumash people. As an example of this poor and unscholarly behavior, he reports that “bona fide Chumash descendants have reported that staff members [at AIHS] told them that they wouldn’t receive services there unless they became card-carrying members of the Coastal Band.” But in reality, before the current eligibility crisis, AIHS has served clients of Chumash descent from many different tribal affiliations as well as people who choose to remain unaffiliated. Chumash clients did not have to join the Coastal Band in order to be served. Why would Dr. Johnson repeat unresearched reports like that to the press?

He claims that he is “well acquainted with the different groups who today identify themselves as ‘Chumash’” and that “members of the media often fail to appreciate the depth of concern of people from historical Chumash families that their culture has been appropriated by other Santa Barbarans.” As a person from a “historical Chumash family” who can solidly trace my ancestry back to Maria Rosa of Swaxil on Limuw (Santa Cruz Island) and Juana Maria of Syukhtum (Santa Barbara), I take serious issue with Dr. Johnson involving himself at all in our community. He is not the righteous protector of “real-Chumash” from the sinister “Neo-Chumash.” Sadly there are people in our community who seek to hold elite status as the only true Chumash descendents, even at the expense of their own family members. I believe this is part of a legacy of historical trauma that is playing out in our community. By involving himself in these issues and claiming authority as a consequence of his education, Dr. Johnson is exploiting these members of our community. The price we all pay for the perpetuation of this elite circle is the disappearance of our medical benefits, our educational opportunities, and our sacred sites.

Although my family happens to be lucky enough to have documents to prove our ancestry, all of the families in our community are not so lucky. There are many factors which cause people to be unable to trace their lineages. Some mission records have not survived to the current day, some families were fortunate enough to remain outside of the mission system entirely, some families lied on census data in order to protect themselves by hiding their Chumash ancestry during times of prejudice and persecution, and some families have been affected so strongly by disease, alcoholism and poverty that it is impossible to reconstruct their genealogies. Even still, in the same way as anyone else in the world, especially those who have lived in the same community and on the same land for countless generations, we know who we are. We know who our family is regardless of genealogies, mission records, DNA, and scholarly journals. We don’t need Dr. Johnson to tell us who we are. We are family and we have been far before he entered our community. His involvement is unwelcome by most of the community and is unethical even by the guidelines of his own academic discipline.

Alicia Cordero
January 21, 2007 at 10:52 p.m.

correct me if I am wrong but as far as I know the Coastal band has been in the "process" of seeking federal recognition since the mid-80's- with little to no progress towards their desired goal...i wonder why?

watered down identity
January 21, 2007 at 11:46 p.m.

Well coming from the well documented family in Ojai ,I say it is about time this issue of People becoming Chumash ,raising their children to be Chumash , making money on our culture,making decisions on our artifacts and burials,power tripping and what ever else they can think of, comes to an end . Don't shoot the messenger,John Johnson, he has become the expert because he is the one we have all gone to to help us with geneology .Several years ago when my sister needed help at the clinic in S.B. they told her she had to be a member of Coastal Band, and if she didn't she would not be entitlied to services.After a few minutes on the phone with Shey Welch I told her my sister would not sign up with Coastal Band and her family history from the Baptism records would be enough,my sister recieved her help.The office was telling her that Coastal Band was State recognized , Shey agreed that the State does not have power to recognize anyone.So what they were doing was illegal and it is also why their membership went up. The clinic should have be investigated back then.The Clinic is just the tip of the iceberg. Why is it that those who have no proof ,say they have been told by some family relative , treat the people whos' families that have had a continous line from the beginning of time as if we don't exsist,,you are learning the history of our culture from our relatives,where are the words from your relatives? The burden of proof lies upon you ,if it's not there,it's not there be proud of who you are and let us be that continous voice.It could be that it's time for the families to come together and let you know that we will not tolerate your actions and lies any more .

Julie Tumamait
January 22, 2007 at 4:37 p.m.

p.s. And Another Thing ! one of my Fathers favorite sayings.The latest on my sisters adventures at S.B Indian health.Last year in November her family was denied services at the dental clinic,She was told she needed to belong to a Federally Recognized Tribe and live in the Santa Barbara County area. I am sure that they didn't say "Federally cerified "tribe.So even are well documented family papers didn't get her in,which states we are Barbareno Chumash .And by the way it doesn't get us Casino $ either,but that is none of your business.On the same subject of S.B.health services,when Lee Morris vanished,the clinic nearly fell apart, Candelaria American Indian Council wanted to run it.A few meetings later it was concluded that with the help of C.A.I.C.and Ventura Counties' assessment needs numbers combined with the needs in S.B it was all used to bring back services to Indians , but to S.B clients only.I was on the board at C.A.I.C. at the time.

Julie Tumamait
January 22, 2007 at 5:57 p.m.

Well, down south we are having problems with Indian Health too. There seems to be a trend to discriminate between off rez and on rez for services, whether one can afford it or not doesn't seem to be an issue. Our last Director made off with some cash and "goods" on his way back to India, his homeland. It is sad that our clinics always seem to be in a state of upheavel, which effects services that are important, crucial to us all.

marina ortega
January 22, 2007 at 7:03 p.m.

I hadn’t intended to post another blog, but since Alicia Cordero has accused me of unspecified “errors” in my work and unprofessionalism, I feel moved to respond. With regard to the first charge, I have never represented myself as a molecular anthropologist, and Cordero apparently has forgotten (because I gave her a copy of our most recent publication) that fully qualified molecular anthropologists are coauthors on all of the DNA papers to which I have contributed. Furthermore, all such articles were peer-reviewed by other molecular anthropologists before publication.

That being said, all of this attention on DNA is a sideshow, in my opinion, to the larger question of how cultural identity is constructed. I have never stated that DNA should be used as a test of someone’s ethnicity, and I felt that Martha Sadler’s article reflected a popular misunderstanding on this point. There are multiple categories of people who today identify themselves as Chumash today and since I have worked closely with them all as a professional anthropologist over a thirty year span, I feel that I have some insight into the situation. It is not unprofessional for me to speak factually in general terms about the differences between these groups or to report the feelings that historical Chumash families express regarding neo-Chumash individuals or groups. Indeed some of these feelings have been voiced in the other blogs.

Cordero questions the report that some Chumash descendants were told that they needed to join the Coastal Band to receive free service from AIHS. However, multiple individuals from different Chumash families have independently testified to this, so this is not a mere passing along of one individual's story. Obviously, for each to have reported the same experience there must have been some incorrect information being given out by one or more clinic staff members.

Cordero provides a list of reasons why people might not have surviving documentation to indicate their ancestry. Actually, California Indians and descendants of the early colonial Spanish-Mexican families alike have a wealth of genealogical information in various archival sources from the Mission Period to the present day that permit people to trace their ancestries. Over the years, hundreds of people have come to me, including Cordero’s own relatives, for assistance in pursuing their genealogies, and I have helped them without charge to the extent that I am able. Although most express gratitude, not everyone wants to accept what the records state. Unfortunately, some then lay the blame on yours truly when preconceived ideas are not supported by the documentary evidence. What would constitute unprofessional conduct would be for me to misinform them or the public about the content of such records just to satisfy neo-Chumash interests.

John Johnson
January 22, 2007 at 8:35 p.m.

I am one of the documented Chumash and by making that statement I have opened myself up to attacks. But, my Father, Abel Salazar, a Marine, a veteran of WWII, did not raise is his children to hide from a fight and he taught all his chilren to be proud of their Indain heritage. That being said, I support Ernestine De Soto, Julie Tumamait, and our friend John Johnson. Now it might seem simple to decide whose side I am on. But,I have been friends with many of the people who wrote to criticize Mr. Johnson. This is not just a matter of who is Chumash and who is not Chumash. Why don't we debate if Halle Berry is African-American or half white and half black. Native Americans are subject to anthropological discussions that no other ethnic group in America is subjected to. Is this discussion necessary, yes. Will friendships end because of statements being made in this article, yes. And when I look at the progress made to save the Chumash language, the Chumash Tomol culture, the Chumash basketry knowledge, the Chumash traditional stories and so much more of the Chumash culture I am saddened. This progress has been made by non-Chumash and Chumash people. Who has had more impact? Who cares. As a young man I was overwhelmed by trying to decide what should I know about my culture. I felt that I should know everything, the language, the stories, the songs, the ceremonies, the healing knowledge, how to make Aps, arrow heads, bows, tomols, the list was endless. Is there a simple answer to who is and who is not Chumash, no. So, why don't we share all of our knowledge, documentation, and records with each other. If we can spend all this time writing these responses why don't we share our family histories openly with Mr. Johnson, the Santa Ynez Reservation, documented Chumash, Neo-Chumash and anyone else of interest? If knowledge is wisdom, then lets gather as much knowledge, from all parties involved, as we can, then make decisions based on facts not on who debates the best. Kiwa'nan, Alan Salazar

Alan Salazar
January 22, 2007 at 9:15 p.m.

This issue with the Indian Health Clinic is one that should have been addressed LONG ago. I am from a very well documented family, though not as brave as Alan Salazar or Julie Tumamait. I cannot take the abuse that would be waged upon me should I say who I am, and it would be by those who ARE NOT of the People. It is time that the California native People stand up, united against all these people who are not who they say they are. Some people claim that their ancestors will not be found on paper, that their families avoided the Mission system entirely. The problem with this thinking is as follows, each of us is a puzzle piece, individually we may not appear in any recognized method of documentation, but put that piece into the bigger context of an entire puzzle and your ancestry will show itself. The fate of our culture may have been inevitable but it is unconscionable how it happened. All we are asking for as a People is to be treated fairly, that those of us who have a right to speak for our ancestors be allowed to speak and those who ARE NOT WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE be silenced once and for all for the money grubbing phonies that they are. When dealing with native People you are dealing with a COMMUNITY, one that has survived to this very day. It should be mandatory that when receiving services, representing ancestoral lands or issues, that the People document themselves. Would society take a person claiming to be a surgeon at face value? NO, we require proof don't we? The public must know that this is not just a bunch of Native People fighting with eachother, this is our culture, our identity, it is who we are and nobody has the right to just lie about their heritage and get away with it. It is no less than identity theft when people use our culture to benefit monetarily or receive services under false pretenses. Dr. John Johnson is one of the finest people that I have ever met, he has always been there to assist me in any way that he can. He is an ethical man, one who tells the TRUTH, it is not Dr. Johnson's fault that he cannot find what is NOT there. It is always the PHONIES who protest and claim foul, they all need to be who Creator made them to be, don't try to be who he made us to be. We are all coming together to fight all of you, and we will win. We will win because right is right, and wrong is wrong, and all of you ARE WRONG and should be held accountable for your lies and mistruths!

Not as brave as Alan or Julie
January 23, 2007 at 4:09 p.m.

My name is Frank Arredondo, and although I am a member of the Coastal Band that does not entail that I speak on behalf of the tribe, nor does the anyone from the tribe speak for me or represent my thoughts. I am very active in the process of dealing with governmental issues effecting the powers of the Native American community. I represent myself as a Native Santa Barbarian and of Coastanoan/Chumash descent. So I present you with my own personal thoughts.

A couple of points to make here. Somehow the topic of the article has come off tract and pointed towards those that have posted comments here. That is unfortunate and I hope we all can get along and comment on the topics at hand. Allow me to point them out. lawsuit, AIHS Board, services to Native American documentation.

The first topic is the lawsuit. It plays a small role to many local Native people but since it was mentioned here is my comment. From what I understand some employees were let go after an audit was performed and it became quite clear that the people in those positions did not have the skill set to do the job properly. Not any fault of anyone just they were not "trained" in that specifics of that field. It was decided to bring in people who have the ability to sift through the audit material and get the clinic back in compliance. Those that just happened to be hired were Native American Those that were fired were not Native. The new hires had the experience for what was needed to get the clinic back on tract. I understand the last clinic they worked in is now one of the few prospering from there efforts. With that being said it is really an issue between the clinic and the lawyers as to the validity of the lawsuit. But it identifies the background setting of what took place next.

The removal of the board is the second issue.

In order to receive funding the clinic is required to meet 12 requirements (see below). This apparently was given to the board to complete. As to how much of the list was required is unknown but never the less it was there job. The board failed to make any progress on the list and was advised several times that it needed to make an effort to comply other wise funding would be pulled. Indian Health came down to point out the issues that needed to be met. They were given fair warning but yet failed to act on the requirements and kept tabling the issues to the next meeting. The director Al Granados did what any director would do to meet the state requirements and take action to get the job done so that the little funding that was left could still be retained and replace the board with a group of people who would address the 12 requirements.

The Board’s issue of being removed is yet another internal issue between the clinic and the board members. Writing letters to the State or other any other agent to seek sympathy will only expose the real issue that the board did not do their job. Any State official will no doubt seek advice before deciding to take action or make a reply and this point will come up. In order to receive funding those 12 requirements were not getting done and they were removed.

It is a matter of Law. See government code below to health care requirements.

1653a

TITLE 25 > CHAPTER 18 > SUBCHAPTER IV > § 1653. Contracts and grants for provision of health care and referral services

(a) Requirements

Under authority of section 13 of this title, the Secretary, through the Service, shall enter into contracts with, or make grants to, urban Indian organizations for the provision of health care and referral services for urban Indians residing in the urban centers in which such organizations are situated. Any such contract or grant shall include requirements that the urban Indian organization successfully undertake to-

(1) estimate the population of urban Indians residing in the urban center in which such organization is situated who are or could be recipients of health care or referral services;

(2) estimate the current health status of urban Indians residing in such urban center;

(3) estimate the current health care needs of urban Indians residing in such urban center;

(4) identify all public and private health services resources within such urban center which are or may be available to urban Indians;

(5) determine the use of public and private health services resources by the urban Indians residing in such urban center;

(6) assist such health services resources in providing services to urban Indians;

(7) assist urban Indians in becoming familiar with and utilizing such health services resources;

(8) provide basic health education, including health promotion and disease prevention education, to urban Indians;

(9) establish and implement training programs to accomplish the referral and education tasks set forth in paragraphs (6) through (8) of this subsection;

(10) identify gaps between unmet health needs of urban Indians and the resources available to meet such needs;

(11) make recommendations to the Secretary and Federal, State, local, and other resource agencies on methods of improving health service programs to meet the needs of urban Indians; and

(12) where necessary, provide, or enter into contracts for the provision of, health care services for urban Indians.

Services to Native Americans.

What has happened is the Clinic is being asked to verify its native American documentation. Incorrect posted this before. I know this person and they posted information I myself had obtained. But with respect to Incorrect I would like to clarify what was posted since they seemed to have only captured the basics of my information.

For some time no one has made an issue of verification. Mostly the clinic has turned a shy eye to the issue and allowed members to provide minimal documentation because the clinic has never been under the watchful eye of the Indian health and services. But that has changed.

Along with the 12 criteria required from the clinic, Indian Health also is requiring that Native documentation fall within the Federal guidelines of identification.

Here is the Federal description.:

TITLE 25 CHAPTER 18 GENERAL § 1603

(c) "Indians" or "Indian", unless otherwise designated, means any person who is a member of an Indian tribe, as defined in subsection (d) of this section.

(d) "Indian tribe" means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.

U.S. Code Title 25. Chapter 18. General . §1603 Definitions

For purposes of this chapter- Indian Health Care

(f) "Urban Indian" means any individual who resides in an urban center, as defined in subsection (g) of this section, and who meets one or more of the four criteria in subsection (c)(1) through (4) of this section.

(g) "Urban center" means any community which has a sufficient urban Indian population with unmet health needs to warrant assistance under subchapter IV of this chapter, as determined by the Secretary.

(h) "Urban Indian organization" means a nonprofit corporate body situated in an urban center, governed by an urban Indian controlled board of directors, and providing for the maximum participation of all interested Indian groups and individuals, which body is capable of legally cooperating with other public and private entities for the purpose of performing the activities described in section 1653 (a) of this title.

(c) "Indians" or "Indian", unless otherwise designated, means any person who is a member of an Indian tribe, such terms shall mean any individual who

(1), irrespective of whether he or she lives on or near a reservation, is a member of a tribe, band, or other organized group of Indians, including those tribes, bands.

Or groups terminated since 1940 and those recognized now or in the future by the State in which they reside,

Or who is a descendant, in the first or second degree, of any such member,

(2) Or is an Eskimo or Aleut or other Alaska Native,

(3) Or is considered by the Secretary of the Interior to be an Indian for any purpose,

(4) Or is determined to be an Indian under regulations promulgated by the Secretary.

The State description:

U.S. Code Title 25. Chapter 14. Subchapter XXV- Indians of California

§ 651."Indians of California" defined.

For the purpose of this subchapter the Indians of California shall be defined to be all Indians who were residing in the State of California on June 1, 1852, and their descendants now living in said State.

The State of California holds no official "state recognition process" so being state recognized is really an Urban legend.

Two possibilities arise from this definition. Does a person submit their criteria as an individual or as a group. The notices were sent to the clinics’ members and not to the CBCN as a whole. So there is a point of view held by this action. I believe the view of Al and Indian Health is that the Coastal Band does not fall within the boundaries of the Federal definition listed above as either an organized tribe or community. That the code leaves room for ambiguity in the statements of organized tribes and communities. This was the basis of the conversation I had with Harry Wiess at the Indian Health offices in Sacramento last December. This is the conversation I attempted to pass on to incorrect.

If the CBCN is seriously interested in making a move on the loss of services of its members with the clinic it will need to seek further definition as to what "Indian Tribe" is. With specifics on "organized tribe."

The definition of organized is listed as :To put together into an orderly, functional, structured whole. So this brings into question if the Tribe is acting as if they are organized.

The definition of Community is listed as :

A social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

To me as a member of the Coastal band I look at this claim and ask myself why do we not qualify. The only answer I can come up with is that we are perceived to lack or retain any structure or government that would be considered to be orderly and functional.

The choice of the Coastal band's decision to make a move on the clinic should be reviewed by the overall membership and spelled out to that effect. I would support that for our group.

As for individuals and there documentation. I believe there are many ways to document your Native American descendancy. Some of that is spelled out in Federal law. For example the federal government does not consider adoption a proper form of descendants, thus for federal recognition reasons those adopted into tribes are not accepted even though the culture has signs of adoption to have taken place. It is a pit blood against blood. And is where huge arguments can come into play. But if you want federal services than you must understand that.

Forrest states that "having a "Chumash" mitochondrial marker is no sure indicator" This is correct. There are other forms of markers that can be used and should be used when attempting to identify or document a Native American.

Alicia Cordero makes it a point to end her statement with the definition of natives know who they are within their families. This may be true, but is a mute point. It still doesn't help in getting federal services. The documentation is still required.

Mr. Johnson does have his point but it is only one point among many. With only 200 years of records to actually utilize with it is considered to be a fairly easy task to partake. But for many it is very troublesome. Many factors are not taken into consideration. Documents are incorrect due to the social aspects of the time. So some other form of proof of descendants has to be provided. There is no “One fix for all”… There can't be. But still there needs to be at the very least accountability to show some documentation and have it to provide. At least to the California roll at this point. Yet the documentation is there and many Native people have failed to do their homework.

Water downed identity states Coastal Band’s federal recognition is in "process" is entirely correct.

The clinic has chosen to verify its documentation. That is all. For long it has turned an eye to the documentation process, it was going to happen sooner or later. How an individual chooses to document its descendancy is varied.

The clinic has made it clear that they do not recognize the Coastal Band as a legitimate organization. This is an issue that the Coastal Band itself needs to address internally if it is to survive.

The real issue I have is this process is put into action and the person who will decide if you get any services is someone who is likely to be unqualified to know what you have provided to them for documentation is truly valid or not. I have seen where a native from another State merely had a letter faxed to the clinic that came with a tribal letterhead. It could have come from anywhere. Not that anyone would go to such lengths to commit fraud it just shows the problem with the process. If a person can make a claim to be from a organized tribe from out of the State and the clinic has no method of verification then how can they make a claim to a tribe that is local.

There is no one method of documentation of your descendancy. Who will certify it? By their actions do they attempt to take away from us our identity within the realm of government. To assimilate us to the norm of Anglo American society? I think they do. But we ask for that challenge to be placed on us when we ask for services of the federal government. We ask for verification. We ask to be labeled and put in a box so "they " can store and document us.

So all the statements are valid within reason to the issue or question being asked.

Frank Arredondo.

Frank Arredondo
January 23, 2007 at 6:32 p.m.

How sad it is that Ms.Cordero is so mislead. For argument sake, lets say someone has "fallen through the cracks", what about those who are say APACHE, and now that they live in our Land have decided that perhaps they should be Chumash also? Is, that O.K. with you Ms. Cordero? Or what about the coastal band member who teaches the Chumash culture but is in fact Italian? Is that O.K. with you Ms. Cordero? Where do we as culture want to draw the line? It would be wonderful if people could be taken at face value when stating their heritage, unfortunately some have figured out that they can "get" services free if they say they are native. And they even have people help them pull it off. We as a people have been through a genocide, and it is not over yet. The individuals who I am talking about are participates in that genocide. They make things up as they go along, causing the truth that survives to be deminished. Ms. Cordero, you speak as if you are a person with some education, yet you use it poorly. If the folks you are talking about do not wish to utilize the kindness that Dr. Johnson has showed the real indian community, well this is a free country is it not? Those that you speak of that are so unwelcoming of the free service that he supplies, then they simply can go elsewhere. But sadly, even if they do, they will, if dealing with someone of the same calibur, will be told the same thing-"Sorry, you are not of indian decent". The remaining original people of California need to unite alright, against these people who are frauds. It is not true that someone can not find any evidence of their blood line. Please, stop using this foolish line of thinking, realize that there is always a way to prove who you are, providing you grew up with your family. People say all kinds of things that are not true, this is just a more serious issue that we are dealing with. It is a matter of survival or genocide. We have to choose people, take a stand! Ms. Cordero you are wrong, wrong, wrong. Check with other professionals and see what they say, or are they all wrong? Are they part of some conspiricy to deny benefits to some random family that they do not know, or could it be that there really are people who lie about heritage. I think there really are people who lie, they lie for money, they lie for dental care, lie for medical care, lie to get educational services and the worst lie of all is the one that is told that causes some elder to not receive care because a grant has been absorbed by people who are not indian. And now the true elder receives no care! Ms. Cordero is that o.k. with you? Think woman, use that mind of yours, you are not thinking this through all the way.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED
January 23, 2007 at 10:17 p.m.

I would like to thank Julie, Alan and others for their comments. For "Not As Brave", you may not be as brave, but you aren't silent! Thank You. It is an act of bravery, because there are some threatening people out there. In the face of such agression, I have to agree that people who cannot document their Chumash ancestry should not represent themselves as such. Some of these people are agressive liars and some truly believe they are Chumash, despite John Johnsons findings, yet are good people with good hearts. I believe the proven Chumash have a right to clarity regarding disputed individuals and families. What could be unfair about that? Well, it is very threatening to call someone out, but we are being threatened! Elders and Women are threatened. This just isn't tolerable. Although I can sympathize with what this means to those that cannot verify their Chumash Ancestry, I have to support this push for clarity for the sake of the many Chumash that have quietly suffered pain at the doings of people purporting to be Chumash. Indeed, it is further aggravation of an already aggravating situation of genocidal impact. And "Not As Brave", I am living in Washington so I can't say I'm being brave either. AAyy.

Matthew Vestuto
January 24, 2007 at 9:59 p.m.

I want to make a comment on all this about American Indian Heath and Services. Mr. Granados is an outsider, he is not Chumash I don’t think he knows what it means to be American Indian, he has no heart, he and his three right handed men have black hearts and how do any of us know what they are up too, Mr. Johnson you are full of bull, I wouldn’t depend on you if my life depended on it. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Granados meet with the Franco and Hames family and tell them to their face that they are not Chumash. I bet you don’t have what it takes to do it.

Teresa
January 25, 2007 at 6:19 p.m.

Again don't shoot the messenger.Santa Barbara American Indian Health and services is not a Chumash clinic .It is there to service Urban Indians from all Nations.It is a agency of the goverment. It is not up to them to decide who to service they are under strict regulations.I can't understand how people don't get this.It's an American Indian clinic it should serve American Indian period.Otherwise the money goes elsewhere.This is not personal, neither is the work that John Johnson is doing ,haven't you been reading the other entries? It only becomes personal if the "well documented people" decide that, they as a community will determine who is Chumash and who is not,but that is something that hasn't even been considered.What my hope is ,is that from all of this ,the feelings of people be known and be expressed,there is so much talk about who is who and who is getting what ,and what so and so is saying about you who who.Do you think ths conversation could happen face to face?Now that would be a challange.I have said this more that once, what if those of you who have no documentation can say to us that you will support us you will stand by and fight the fight ,what ever the fight may be ,You may say "I can't prove who I am ,I thought I was Chumash ,but it is not there,but I love this land I love these people and I will do whatever I can to help and be put to work for the greater good.What is it that makes you want to be us ?One evening at the Museum of Natural History Elder Oren Lions came to speak,He is the Chief of the Onondaga Nation.Someone in the auditorium ask the Question,"My family have been here for 10 generations,when can we say we are Native"? Oren said "When you can say it with respect" It is only the Chumash Community who has the right to determine who has gain that respect,by the way the person asking was a white man. It is the arrogance and the pretentiousness of alot of people who feel that the world owes them a livng and they will do it by all means possible,and if that includes become Chumash here in California,then so be it ,if they were in South Dakota they would become Lakota, althought I don't think they would last a second.Then there are those people who will claim to their last breath that they are who they say they are,and what are we to do about that? Nothing ,as long as they aren't becoming the Shaman,the healer,the politician,or the Wot.With all that said if you want health service from American Indian Health and Service you need to show documentation. If you want to find your family tree,you don't have to go to John Johnson,there are hundreds of geneologist out there.Or you can continue to live life

Julie Tumamait
January 25, 2007 at 7:21 p.m.

To Teresa and all who are of like mind! All who have posted messages about this situation feel passionate about their position. Lets cut to the heart of things, our ancestors speak from deep in our hearts. They say that they meant something, that they lived upon this earth as creator intended for them to. They belonged to the land, and all were their brothers and sisters. Nothing was ever done in community that would harm another or make living difficult, or they were held accountable. If all feel so strongly about being Native, then why are they doing things against the community as a whole, to the Elders who we are to respect and honor. PEOPLE!!!!! Listen! We are of the original People are not going to sit by and watch our culture be bastardized, we have SURVIVED to long to do that. We are still here, we still beleive in Community, in our Elders, in this Land. NOBODY gets to take that from us, not without a fight. For far to long the People have gotten snagged by fighting, but it is getting to close to "forever" for our People. We are fighters, we have sat by for 30 years while this "very" deceit has gone on, now we are not going to "sit" anymore. We are going to come together as a documented people, not to hurt anyone, but to "save" what belongs only to us. To much has already been taken from us, we are not complaining about the past, we are coming together to go into the future, preserving our culture. Those of us who are "documented", who are writing to all who read this, are the People that are left here. We will protect what is ours. "Ours", is not money or services, or who is or who isn't! Ours is ours, it is our heritage, our legacy and we intend to protect it. We are "NOT" going to allow this anylonger. All this name calling of Dr. Johnson and other professionals is foolish, meant to divert people away from the real issue. I am making a posting right now to all who "think" but are not sure that they are Native, but don't really want to hear the truth! Do not waste your time or Dr. Johnson's if you are going to him with the hopes that he is going to make fraudulant statements about your lineage. If you know you are Native and you need help from Dr. Johnson in recording your heritage for the rest of time, you must go and see him. He and his staff will share with you amazing things! Things that most people will never get to "feel", to touch the past. He and his staff "Honor" those of us who are who we say we are. And we "Honor" them! They care, and with care write down every detail that we have to give them in hopes that they can "HELP US" to save information for our future generations, and the generations of people who will study our cultures. So foolish people, when you make these defaming statements about someone who has done nothing but good, you are going to hear back in a big way from those of us who "HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK". Stop wasting your time with ignorant rantings, get busy and get your paperwork in order! Your going to need it! As Julie recently said to me, "We are on the same list you and I, and it is getting smaller"!

We are going to stand against you all! So with a true heart and voice I am giving some good advice to each of you. Call your Elders, get the concrete evidence of who you are, spend time, all the time it takes and get your papers in order. Because if you don't have them your ride on the gravy train is almost over. And your voices are going to be "SILENT" from speaking for us soon. No treats or anger intended, it is a promise!

Very Proud
January 25, 2007 at 9:50 p.m.

The issue is really with the Indian Health Service, in order to retain fudnign the Sana Barbara Clinci was REQUIRED to taek this aciton or get defunded. T

Native American
January 29, 2007 at 11:03 a.m.

NATIVE AMERICAN, are you from this area? If you are you would know that the issues are completely connected. One cannot separate the two. The push now is for documentation, on a broader level. It is a shame that you did not see the heart of the issue. For the very reason that you have stated, the clinic was "required" to or would loose funding.

BROADER ISSUE
January 30, 2007 at 10:46 a.m.

Well I am Chumash born and raised in Santa Barbara and to have Mr. Johnson, Julie Tumamait and Ms. De Soto who is not a full blood Chumash speak because Mr. Johnson says she is well I would like to see them all face the people that Ms. De Soto grow up with and tell them they are not chumash and all of my family have known they are chumash all their lifes so how can someone that is nothing but trouble makers say that CBCN members are not chumash, Mr. Johnson has told one family member yes they are chumash and from the same family member say no you are not. well Mr. Johnson you and the rest of your so called Chumash are fools.

Chumash
February 1, 2007 at 7:46 a.m.

Well "Chumash" is this what you want,do you want the families to have a face off ?, Or do you just want to call us names?And you want to do this and remain anonymous?,I could think of a couple names to call you. No one has claimed to be "Full Blood" Chumash, although my Fathers family is registered as 3/4 ,my Mothers family is from the Huichol people in Mexico. We carry and hold on to our Great-grandfathers' name Tumamait,I give it to my children. John didn't have to tell us who we are ,but he certanly helped us pull all the information about our family which comes from many sources ,together.And with all that information ,we learn how are families helped the community,acted on behalf of the people and kept alot of the culture alive.
Trouble Makers? Are you saying this is all our fault? Don't give us that much credit it wasn't us who started all of this .This has been brewing for decades.I will stand up and speak my truth and defend myself and my family when our name is brought up (D.LaPuette).Maybe this has to do with the fact that we are women . Erestine and I have been educating people for many many years , we are following a path that was laid out and given to us .We respect our family name we keep that story alive, we stand up for the injustice done to the people . And we honor this Matrilineal culture,if this makes us trouble makers,oh well! We need more of us ,because I am tired of all the "warrior" mentallity that been going on.I have two daughters and one son and they will carry the voice and the truth and the name.Which makes me want to ask ,what is yours?

Julie Tumamait
February 1, 2007 at 10:20 a.m.

First I will address calling the Elder "De Soto" and Julie Tumamait troublemakers. These are two hightly documented Native women who are protecting their culture.

Second, John Johnson telling two people in the same family different things. When this kind of situation comes up, it is usually because we have say two sisters, one weds a Chumash man and the other does not. Just because the two sisters are related, does not make either one of the Chumash, and further, people attach their identity to the wrong lines all the time to accomplish their goals. Ususally their goals are to get something. People are grabbing at straws now. I am sure that it is scarry for people to realize that their identity is not what they thought it was. If you all care so deeply about being Native, then you should care about protecting the culture. Protecting benefits due the Elders and Children. Protecting tribal lands and culture resourses.

My best guess is that the person calling themselves Chumash, is a non-documented person. You can always tell by reading these blogs who is and who isn't. The who "are", stick to the issue of preservation and protection and pride, while the who "aren't" call people names and act like ding dongs. What a shame, keep your eye on the prize here people. The issue is do we as a documented people want to continue to allow people who are not documented to represent our interests. The public is allowed in most situations to address their concerns through a public forum, while the Native person should be dealt with in a cultural roll. We can all respect eachothers positions, and if we cannot, and must revert to name calling then we will find at the end of the game that we have all lost.

Should we see the clinic disapear as a result of fraudulant documentation? Or, should be all follow the rules, work together to get even more rules put in place to protect our culture. The later is true, and we as documented individuals must put all of our differences aside and work together to shore up the walls around our culture.

I personally am someone who tried to get an Elder in my family care for diabetis, only to find out that the funds had been exhausted. The nearest place to receive care was a clinic 700 miles north of Santa Barbara and the Elder would have had to make the trip every month as the medication could not be sent through the mail.

If "Chumash" is who they say they are then somewhere in their family, SOMEWHERE PEOPLE, SOMEWHERE, they will fit into that "puzzle" that has been mentioned. Stop showing ignorance "Chumash", call your Elders, Aunties, Mom and Dad whoever. Get BUSY, DOCUMENTATION ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE BROUGHT UP ALOT FROM NOW ON. Get ready!

And Ernestine and Julie, keep up the good work! You both use your voice and documentation for the greater good of the People.

And "Chumash", work, work, work get your house in order, a little less blabber mouth and a whole lot more intellectual work gathering data would serve you better than name call and hot air.

Respect your Elders
February 1, 2007 at 12:39 p.m.

The comments on this article started coming in over two weeks ago and people are probably not done yet. The issues are very important to many people. Some have responded several times. Some feel people have missed the point, that this is about Indian Health and funding issues. Others believe the story is about who is and who is not Chumash. But, I do know this 11 people posted comments then signed their first and last name. Two people just signed their first name and 9 people used nonidentifiable titles (like Respect Your Elders).So, 17 days later we don't even know who those 9 people are or who Teresa and Loretta are, let alone who is Chumash and who is not Chumash. There are people that are afraid to take credit for their beliefs. What does this tell you about these issues and the people invovled? There are many more Chumash people that are silent. When we hear from more than just the few that have written so far, then we might be able to make some progress on these issues. Many Chumash people do not want to use this method of communication. So, how, when and where do we meet to solve our problems? I am waiting for our elders and our leaders to speak up. If not here then,the Indian grapevine or any other form of communication. If we don't take the next step then, things will continue as they have for last 20 years. We have vented our frustrations now we need to solve some problems. Alan Salazar

Alan Salazar
February 3, 2007 at 9:06 a.m.

Alan, I am Penny Pierce Hurt, I am Salinan, and documented, I live in the Santa Barbara area. I do not claim to be anyone but who I am. Many issues have come up on the central coast. My people come from the area north of the Cuesta Grade to far up into Monterey County. My family needed to utilize the health clinic, but as with someone elses family, mine was turned away because there was no more funding for a particular grant, and too, my family would have had to travel over 500 miles each way each month to find help. There is no clinic anywhere near where my people live. Santa Barbara or the Rez are about it. Though I appreciate what you have to say and completely agree with your point, I must say that we are all weary of dealing with situations involving individuals, using up or budding into things that are not their business. How do we then work toward safeguarding our resources and cultural resources? I have turned in alot of directions, education/tutoring programs, cultural resource management, working with the Forest Service, leader-ship, baskety, language etc. It would be my fondest hope that the entire community of Native Peoples in California, could come together with ideas to solve problems that we are facing. Putting everything asside except to direct our focus to problem solving. I would be very open to your ideas and wonder if you see something on a larger scale, say California versus Santa Barbara County? Could we all work together to change legislation? How could this forum happen? My experience with the Elders from my people are that they do not like all the fighting that goes on. I have spoken with some of the people who have posted, and they seem to feel as you do. The Elders of my people like a simple, friendly setting. It is very hard for them to hear so much information, information that is often not very promising. They seem to have been through to much already, could you make any suggestions? I know a large amount of people from various tribal families throughout California, both Reservation and Urban, that would be most interested in positive unified statewide problem solving. I look forward to what you have to say.

Penny Pierce Hurt
February 6, 2007 at 10:17 p.m.

Penny: It is so good to hear from you. I live in Paso Robles. I have been here for only 4 years and I am still meeting Native peoples from this area. Many of us have hoped and prayed for unity within the Native American community but, it is very difficult. I believe that recognized groups need to organize more open meetings to encourage dialog. The first group that comes to mind is the Santa Ynez Reservation. They have already had several meetings to deal with protecting sacred and sensitive sites. I it is not my place to ask Santa Ynez to organize more meetings, but if not them, then some other organization or group of elders need to pick a place, date and time to gather. There are many organizations like Candeleria Indian Council, the Norhtern Chumash Council and others that I hope will be added to this list by you and whoever reads this. I do an occasional program at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and would consider it a honor to sit down with you and your family at the museum to discuss this. Contact the museum and they can put us in touch if you wuold like to. Kiwa'nan, Alan Salazar

Alan Salazar
February 7, 2007 at 3:21 p.m.

We all know that as a human family we are quite mixed up. Unforutunatley,I see this incident as provoking much distrust between people who should be united. Could this be another divide and conqour tactic at hand to further fractionalize and disenchant indegenous people? What of our ancestors who refused to go willingly to the mission system, those who are not in the baptismal records. Those families who stayed away. What of the people after secularization and the racist violence they dealt with. What of our aunts, uncles, and grandparents who hid there nativeness during the early census taking and called themselves Mexican (aside: since when are Mexicans not native? Mixtec, Toltec, Mayan, Aztec...HELLO!) for fear of racist attacks in the forms of violence and land grabs. Maybe if the reservation at Cieneguitas existed and those people were neatly tucked away, indoctrinted, and left impoverished there would not be such a contentious issue currentley afoot. Maybe if my aunts and grandma relegated themsleves to a concentrtion camp (read:reservation) they could have been federally recognized. How can we trust in and rely on the very same governmental system and racist laws that murdered and tried to erase these people from the American concioussness. Although my family is involved in the Coastal Band and I have family memebers who did (and will do) many great things for the California indigenous people, you would be hard presse to convince them they are anything but chumash people (but also Fillipno, also Yokuts, also Mayan also white, also spanish...also, well you get the point) who are as natural to this place as the redtail hawk or the movement of wind in the trees. We do need to come to our senses though. This society and it's poisonous lifestyle are killing our native brothers and sisters. The food is deadly, the air is deadly, the lack of respect for our earth is deadly, possibly the most sick and twisted part of the agenda to colonize this continent and rape the land for it's resources. Why am I talking about all this, what does this have to do with blood quantum and the clinic. Everything. We rely on the same racist, eurocentric attitudes to define us, willingly or not. Let's not let them divide the people further. We must become self reliant again. We need to learn about our medicine, spiritual and physical. We need to revive our land and our health. It's funny that the article in the Indy came out on the same day I was looking through stacks and stacks of yellowed newspaper clippings, and articles dealing with the subject of Chumash race, land and cultural heritage issues. Pictures of our California Native family resisting the occupation and rape of point concpetion, who by certain racist ideals of cetain anthropologists was never sacred to us. As though the western gate does not transcend native lore across the continent. We can no longer rely on the system or it's lackeys to take care of us. Because although time has passed, the agenda of indoctrination, racism, and the obliteration of Natve Americans, still continues and will be hard to stop. If you want to find me, I'll be planting native plants, restoring our creeks, learning herbal medicine, and ressisting the racist occupational government. Even if I did not have the mitochondrial DNA I would still do this out of love and respect fot the land and it's original people. Let's grow together. Enough bickering and gossip! Be strong no matter what race or tribe you are. The Chumash people should take California on the right path. Lets live like our ancestors and respect the four directions, all colors, and all of the earths creations. LOVE, RESPECT, UNITY! Come planting with me!

Chuck Franco
February 8, 2007 at 3:21 a.m.

Shaamo'sh Alan, I will call the museum on Monday! My hope is that we can all stand together to make a positive difference for all our people. It is a must and I am open to using positive energy and unification of various People to accomplish the task we have been discussing.Yaxap'Penny

Penny Pierce Hurt
February 11, 2007 at 10:11 a.m.

my grandmother is a chumash coastal band member
her father used to go to the reservation to visit her uncle,and I don't want any money I just want to be proud..

carla olivera
February 26, 2007 at 8:59 p.m.

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Authentic Ethnicity in Question

Originally published 01:00 p.m., January 18, 2007
Updated 12:54 p.m., February 22, 2007

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American Indian Health & Services Asks: ‘Are You Native American Enough?’

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Authentic Ethnicity in Question

Originally published 01:00 p.m., January 18, 2007Updated 12:54 p.m., February 22, 2007

Article Tools

American Indian Health & Services Asks: ‘Are You Native American Enough?’

Comments

EVENT CALENDAR

Local Weather

Originally published 01:00 p.m., January 18, 2007
Updated 12:54 p.m., February 22, 2007