Satwiwa ( Chumash: "the bluffs") was a former Chumash village in the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...

Newbury Park, California Newbury Park is a populated place and townReal Estate Communications, Inc. (1984). ''California Real Estate Directory''. Page 201. in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, whil ...

. The current Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center is operated by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

in cooperation with the Friends of Satwiwa.Kennedy, Frances H. (2008). ''American Indian Places: A Historical Guidebook''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Page 243. . Satwiwa has been inhabited by Chumash Indians for over 10,000 years.Riedel, Del Monique and Allen (2011). ''Best Hikes Near Los Angeles. Rowman & Littlefield''. Page 102. . It is situated at the foothills of

Boney Mountain Boney Mountain in Ventura County, California is one of the highest peaks in the Santa Monica Mountains. The prominent mountain visible from Newbury Park, California is . It is also known as Boney Peak. The mountain contains four of the highest ...

, a sacred mountain for the Chumash. Bordering thousands of acres of wilderness in the Santa Monica Mountains, the fauna surrounding Satwiwa includes

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird ...

mountain lions The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

, Valley coyotes,

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the ...

s, foxes,

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

s, and

hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfa ...

s. The main trail from Satwiwa is nicknamed "the backdoor to the Point Mugu State Park". Satwiwa is one of the four primary entrances to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Etymology

''Satwiwa'' is

Chumashan Chumashan was a family of languages that were spoken on the southern California coast by Native American Chumash people, from the Coastal plains and valleys of San Luis Obispo to Malibu, neighboring inland and Transverse Ranges valleys and ca ...

and directly translates to "the bluffs."Ayer, Eleanor H. (1992). ''Parks and Monuments of California: A Scenic Guide''. American Traveler Press. Page 10. .Sheer, Julie (2013). ''Moon Take a Hike Los Angeles: 86 Hikes within Two Hours of the City''. Avalon Travel. Page 33. By strict definition, the name, which also can translate to "higher places", originally referred to the neighboring mountain, known as

. Satwiwa (Sat-wi'wa) was also the Chumashan name used for a former village near the current culture center. The original Chumash village was just north of Big Sycamore Canyon in southern Newbury Park, at the foothills of Mount Boney.

Background

Satwiwa is adjacent to the

and Rancho Sierra Vista within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It is situated at the western end of the

and borders National Park land. Satwiwa and surrounding areas have been inhabited by the

Chumash people The Chumash are a Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Mali ...

for over 10,000 years. The site of the former Native American village has been developed as a nature center. It includes a Chumash Indian demonstration area, where Native American docents or park rangers are available for presentations during weekends. Art shows, ceremonies, and interactive exhibits also take place at Satwiwa. Hiking trails connect to the larger Point Mugu State Park, including trails to nearby waterfalls in the Santa Monica Mountains. Satwiwa (meaning "bluffs") and surrounding Point Mugu State Park (Mugu derives from the

word ''"muwu"'', meaning ''beach'') make up 16,000 acres at the northwest edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. The landscape is characterized by the dramatic backdrops of

, rocky canyons, coastal shrubs, creekbeds, oak and sycamore trees, rolling green slopes, and chaparral. A multitude of trails connect to open-space areas such as the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Los Robles Open Space,

Dos Vientos Open Space Dos Vientos Open Space is a open space area in western Newbury Park, California. It contains more than of trails used for cycling, hiking and equestrians. Originally a part of the Rancho Guadalasca Spanish Land Grant of 1836, the area is now a ...

Circle X Ranch Circle X Ranch is a park unit located in the Triunfo Pass within the southwestern Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, in Ventura County, California. It is located in the western Santa Monica Mountains. Sandstone Peak, the highest ...

Ventu Park Ventu Park () is an unincorporated community in southern Newbury Park, California. Unlike most of Newbury Park, Ventu Park is not within the Thousand Oaks city limits. It borders Ventu Park Open Space in the north, Hidden Valley in the south, and ...

, and others.

History

Native Americans have lived in the area for over 10,000 years. With a hunting and gathering lifestyle based on the abundance of foods in the area, they fished in the Pacific Ocean and hunted deer and rabbits in the canyons. They also gathered acorns from the surrounding oak trees, which they ground to process for food, often combining them with roots or berries. The thriving tribes lived in the center of a commerce that extended up and down the coast, as far west as the

California Channel Islands The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of the Transverse Ranges geologic province, a ...

. In the mid-1500s, the Spaniards were the first Europeans to encounter the native peoples. During colonization, the Spanish established various nearby missions to claim the territory for

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. With the arrival of the Spanish, the village of Satwiwa was absorbed within Rancho El Conejo. Native Americans of Chumash, Tataviam,

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historically ...

and Vanyume ancestries now organize programs at Satwiwa Center in order to keep traditions alive. There they showcase their culture through a variety of contemporary programs, arts and displays. Traditional and religious ceremonies and dances are still held at Satwiwa Center. The site of Satwiwa was purchased by the U.S. National Park Service in 1980 and a cultural center was developed there. Situated in the Santa Monica Mountains of

, the Satwiwa Native-American Indian Culture Center is operated in partnership between the Chumash and the U.S. National Park Service. The center offers a diverse range of educational lectures and workshops, Native American art displays, and more.

Chumash Indians

The Ventureño Chumash Indians first settled in Satwiwa 13,000 years ago, and lived in the village as recently as 2,000 years ago. The village served as a post for travelers and traders who crossed the Santa Monica Mountains through the

Sycamore Canyon Sycamore Canyon is the second largest canyon in the Arizona redrock country, after Oak Creek Canyon. The long scenic canyon reaches a maximum width of about . It is in North Central Arizona bordering and below the Mogollon Rim, and is located ...

in order to get from the Conejo Valley to the Mugu Lagoon and the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

. The Chumash traded with the Gabrieleño-Tongva Indians, who mostly lived in areas of Los Angeles County. Numerous Chumash artifacts and

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

have been discovered in the surrounding area, particularly along the Arroyo Conejo on its way to its

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

in the Mugu Lagoon. Satwiwa is situated at the foothills of

, which is a sacred mountain for the Chumash people. Many of the artifacts are for display at the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center and the Chumash exhibit at the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park, as well as at the Chumash Indian Museum in Thousand Oaks. Satwiwa is still regularly used by Native-American groups, particularly by the

Chumash Barbareño-Ventureño Band of Mission Indians Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, indigenous languages of California See also * Chumash traditional ...

for events such as community dancing and celebrations of various ceremonies, e.g.

summer solstice The summer solstice, also called the estival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer ...

and the Hutash ceremony. The original inhabitants of the village of Satwiwa recognized

as the sacred home of all of creation. The peak remains

sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

to the Chumash people today. The cultural center houses a Chumash demonstration village which sits across the path from the center. This reconstructed Chumash village houses the traditionally made ‘ap (houses). It is particularly visited during weekends when Native-American teachers and National Park rangers are present.Riedel, Allen (2006). ''Best Hikes With Dogs: Southern California''. The Mountaineers Books. Pages 80-81. .

Recreation

Over 100 miles of trails can be found within Point Mugu State Park, which is one of California’s largest state parks. Almost half the state park’s total area make up Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area, a natural wilderness surrounding Mount Boney, a sacred mountain to the

. Several trails lead to a series of cascades, mountain overlooks, and some cross the

leading to the coast of

Point Mugu Point Mugu (, Chumash: ''Muwu'') is a cape or promontory within Point Mugu State Park on the Pacific Coast in Ventura County, near the city of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian term ...

. While Old Boney Loop leads from Satwiwa to the heart of the Boney Mountain State Wilderness, the shorter hike to Sycamore Canyon Waterfall is 3.5 miles roundtrip from the Satwiwa Native American Culture Center. Sycamore Canyon Waterfall consists of a 70-foot series of cascades near a tree-covered creek bed. There are numerous overlapping trails throughout the surrounding area, and trails are utilized by both runners, hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers, and others.

Wildlife

Coyote_at_Rancho_Sierra_Vista_(19908851170)

Adjacent to national park land - Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - wildlife is in abundance near Satwiwa. Commonly encountered species include rabbits, coyotes, deer, prairie falcons, roadrunners, hawks, golden eagles, foxes, and raccoons. The surrounding area is home of a variety of wildlife, including rattlesnakes and mountain lions.

Mammals

The surrounding Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is home to more than 45 species of mammals. List of mammals found in SMMNRA:

References

External links

Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center
- National Park Service {{Newbury Park, California Former Native American populated places in California Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Protected areas of Ventura County, California Newbury Park, California Museums in Ventura County, California Native American museums in California