Region's Chumash group sets course under new leadership

Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star
·2 min read
Dayna Barrios, chairwoman of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians, in an undated photo.
Dayna Barrios, chairwoman of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians, in an undated photo.

The new leader of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians has set her sights on bringing people together and building stronger relationships.

"What we're looking for now is community engagement," said Dayna Barrios, the group's chairwoman. "It's one of our top priorities."

Barrios said the organization will do so by working with the County of Ventura, cities and local nonprofits. Once the vice chairwoman, the 38-year-old Ventura resident became chairwoman of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians and Ventureño Chumash last year.

She takes over for former chairwoman Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, 66, who resigned in May to focus on education work as a Chumash elder.

"It frees me up," Tumamait-Stenslie said of resigning after 20 years. "That work was super difficult, time consuming and there was no pay."

Expanding with Chumash youth

The Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians is the Chumash Band with a territory that covers Ventura County and parts of Kern and Los Angeles counties. The Barbareño/Ventureño band is a nonprofit dedicated to Chumash membership and reaching out to the broader Ventura County community to raise awareness about Native issues and build relationships, according to a statement.

The group does not have a headquarters but most of its six council members live in Ventura, Barrios said.

There are currently 126 tribal members across California, said Tumamait-Stenslie, who lives in the Meiners Oaks neighborhood of the Ojai Valley.

The band will soon be enrolling Chumash youth into its ranks which will raise its overall numbers, Barrios said.

Long term, the group is looking at land acquisition and federal recognition, she said.

The band began a partnership earlier this year with CSU Channel Islands to form the President’s Chumash Advisory Council, which oversees initiatives related to the land, cultural protocols and regulatory compliance for cultural heritage, Barrios said.

For more information, visit www.bvbmi.com

Wes Woods II covers the West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Region's Chumash group sets course under new leadership