In the News
Explore the vibrant ways our Chumash people are living our culture today—through art, science, ceremony, advocacy, education, language, and community. Discover stories that reveal our continuing presence as we carry forward the wisdom and resilience of our ancestors for generations to come.
Moompetam - A Family Story
Sept 23-24, 2025
This weekend Coastal Band families joined our Tongva, Acjachemen, Costanoan, Kumeyaay, Luiseño, and other Chumash relatives at Moompetam at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
The new “California: State of Nature” exhibition
May 24, 2025
Explore this exciting new exhibit, where cultural keystone species and Indigenous science take center stage, featuring Chumash art and voices.
Painted Rock Art & Science Camp
May 23–26, 2025
The first-ever Painted Rock Art & Science Camp brought Central Coast youth to Carrizo Plain for hands-on learning in geology, wildlife, and Chumash culture—guided by Coastal Band tribal members, scientists, and educators in a unique land-based experience.
Finding Connection Beneath the Waves: A Chumash and Tongva Diving Journey
2024-2025
Allukoy Newton (Coastal Band) reflects on Chumash and Tongva students embarking on a transformative journey to become certified scuba divers.
Coastal Band Opposes Sable Offshore Corp.’s Pipeline Plan Along Gaviota Coast
March 2025
Our voices carry one unified message: California’s coastline is not a sacrifice zone—and communities across the state are prepared to fight for its future.
Reclaiming El Camino: Native Resistance in the Missions and Beyond
December 2023 – June 2025
Deana Dartt (Coastal Band) leads an exhibition that repositions and reclaims the El Camino Real as the ancient and well-worn trade route for Native people up through California.
Visiting the British Museum: A Cultural Reconnection
April 2024
A poignant reconnection between Chumash cultural educators and ancestral belongings housed at the British Museum.
A Collaborative Journey of Education, Art, and Cultural Preservation at SBCC
March 2024
Coastal Band members Steven Franco, Maura Sullivan, and Annette Cordero lead the Chumash Signage Project at Santa Barbara City College, working to deepen public understanding of Chumash culture through meaningful and educational signage across campus.
Sailing the Coast: A Journey on Okeanos Explorer
October 2023
Coastal Band members Mia Lopez and her daughter Keli join the expedition team aboard NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer to share their knowledge, traditions, and connections to the ocean and learn about ocean exploration operations first hand.
Author Georgiana Valoyce-Sanchez: “A Light to Do Shellwork By”
April 2023
At 82, Georgiana Valoyce-Sanchez—an acclaimed Coastal Band Chumash writer whose work appears in numerous anthologies—has achieved a long-awaited milestone: the release of her very first solo collection of poems.