quwa’ & Saving the Foothills- Land Back and Restoration in Santa Barbara

A special film screening event featuring quwa’ and Saving the Foothills, two documentaries highlighting Chumash history, land preservation, and the contemporary LandBack movement. quwa’ explores the story of a lost Chumash island in Goleta Slough, followed by Saving the Foothills, which chronicles the community effort to protect San Marcos Foothills from development.

A Q&A discussion, moderated by Professor Summer Gray, will follow the screenings with Chumash community members Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto, Marianne Parra, and Robyne Redwater. Afterwards, enjoy dinner and conversation with fellow attendees. 

• Ernestine Ygnacio-DeSoto is a well-known and respected Chumash Elder for the Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Montecito areas. She is recognized by the Santa Ynez Reservation, where her family’s photo is displayed in the cultural hall. She is the daughter of Mary Yee—the last native speaker of the coastal Chumash language and a renowned Chumash storyteller. Ernestine’s grandmother was Lucretia Ygnacio. Her mother, Mary Yee, worked closely with John Peabody Harrington to document and preserve the Chumash language and culture. Ernestine’s nephew, James Yee, holds a master’s in education and is currently pursuing a PhD in Chumash linguistics. Ernestine herself worked for many years as a mental health nurse and has authored several books. One of the stories she grew up hearing—the “Sugar Bear Story”—was later turned into a book that she both wrote and illustrated. She remains active in speaking her native language and practicing Chumash basketry. Ernestine’s 4X great grandfather was Chief Yanonali. Ernestine Ygnacio-Desoto’s family is one of the oldest documented Chumash families to still reside on ancestral lands. 
• Marianne Parra is Chumash with lineage to Santa Ynez, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura.
  Marianne spent many years from early childhood to late teens on the Santa Ynez Reservation with family, learning and practicing culture and being connected with elders. Family and building connections within her communities have always been very important. She has a lengthy background in the medical field and doing volunteer work with domestic violence survivors. Her education in forensic psychology is on hold while she explores Chumash ethnobotany and other areas. Marianne is the granddaughter of a Chumash healer/medicine woman who first shared stories with her regarding pygmy woolly mammoths in the area long before any had been discovered
• Robyne Redwater
• Summer Gray is an interdisciplinary social scientist focused on coastal adaptation and the inequities that arise in response to climate change. Her book, In the Shadow of the Seawall, examines the social and environmental implications of seawall construction on coastal communities, providing a critical analysis of adaptation strategies that often deepen existing disparities. As a cinematic sociologist, she uses documentary filmmaking to explore environmental values and systemic injustices, combining in-depth interviews with visual storytelling.

Co-Sponsors: AiiCRC and AiiSA