Santa Ynez Valley Museum returns ancestral artifacts to Chumash tribe

In a meaningful act of cultural restoration, the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum recently returned four significant Chumash artifacts to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. The items—two baskets, a stone model of a tomol (plank canoe), and an early 1900s photograph—were repatriated under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This return, part of the tribe’s ongoing healing and cultural preservation efforts, highlights the importance of reclaiming sacred and historical items. For the Chumash people, this process not only heals past wounds but also strengthens connections to their heritage and future generations.