NEWBURY PARK : Chumash Event to Greet Solstice

A Chumash celebration of the summer solstice is planned for Sunday at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa near Newbury Park.

In addition to the 11 a.m. solstice ceremony conducted by Chumash doctors A-Tis-Win Kote and A-lul’koy Lotah, the event will feature presentation of a $50,000 gift to begin construction of the Native American Indian Cultural Center at Satwiwa.

The event, sponsored by Friends of Satwiwa in cooperation with the National Park Service, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.

“There’s no other center like this in the country,” Ron O’Neill, a Friends of Satwiwa board member, said. “What we’re doing is letting the public know how the Indians worked with environment and about their history. We want to extend the friendship hand to other Indians to let them know we will have a place for them.”

O’Neill said the $50,000 was raised by public donations and matching funds from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, an agency that acquires state parkland. He estimates that design and construction costs will run about $250,000. He is optimistic that the balance will be raised through more donations and matching funds. Park Service officials project a 1992 completion of the building.

Another member of the Satwiwa board, Frank Melendez-Rocha, said that although the Chumash will be hosts of the center, they will invite other American Indians to use it to teach their cultures.

“This will be a place to display some of their customs,” said Rocha, a Chumash. “I would also like to see kids from the different school districts come here and appreciate the beauty of Boney Mountain.”

The new center, designed by students of the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning, will be built of redwood, local stone and glass. A window facing the Santa Monica Mountains to the south will use the sun to heat and light the building. Siemans Solar, a Camarillo-based firm, donated the solar panels that will be used for the center’s solar energy.

To reach Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, take the Ventura Freeway toward Newbury Park and exit at Wendy Drive. Drive south until Wendy Drive ends at Potrero Road. Turn right on Potrero Road and left at the stop sign. A left turn at Pinehill Road will take you into the entrance.

For more information, call the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area at 818-597-9192.