SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH HOSTING CAR SHOW SATURDAY TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN
SANTA YNEZ, CA – November 12, 2024 – The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians will host the first annual Wheels and Wansaqs Car Show from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., this Saturday, Nov. 2, in the Tribal Hall parking lot on the Santa Ynez Reservation at 100 Via Juana Road in Santa Ynez to raise funds and awareness about the high rate of missing and murdered women in Indigenous communities.
The car show, which is free and open to the public and is organized by the Behavioral Health Department at the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic, will raise funds for the Medicine Wheel Ride motorcycle group from Phoenix, Ariz., whose mission is to shine a light on missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives (MMIWR) in Indian Country.
Funds will be raised by donations and a $45 registration fee for car show contestants. Car show contest categories include Best Custom Lowrider, Best in Show, Elders Choice, Youth Choice and Best Original. Sponsors include the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Pirate Garage and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. To donate directly, visit www.medicinewheelride.org. To register your car for the show, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wheels-and-wansaqs-tickets1016712162447?aff=oddtdtcreator. If spots are still available, day-of registration will be accepted. For questions, contact Chris Stevenson at (805) 833-0482.
Medicine Wheel Ride is a group of Indigenous female motorcyclists and allies who create awareness and fundraise for issues affecting Indigenous women, their relatives and the community. They assist groups and advocates who search for missing persons and provide support services to women and their families. Part of the group’s effort to promote attention to MMIWR is through its annual motorcycle rallies and rides.
MMIWR is a movement that advocates for the end of violence against Native women and draws attention to the high rates of disappearances and murders of Indigenous people, particularly women and girls. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five Native American adults have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime.
To help combat the MMIWR epidemic, a California bill, known as Assembly Bill No. 1314, or the “Feather Alert” bill, passed by a vote of 6-1 and was approved by Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 23, 2022. Similar to an Amber Alert that you would see on a digital highway sign, if an endangered Indigenous person meets the criteria of being reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, a Feather Alert will be issued. When time is of the essence, alerting the public and asking for tips and leads as soon as possible is critical. The bill was introduced by Assemblymember James C. Ramos, California’s first and only Native American in the state’s legislature.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is located in Santa Barbara County, California. Its reservation was established and officially recognized by the federal government in 1901. Today, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians remains the only federally recognized Chumash tribe in the nation. The tribe is a self-governing sovereign nation and follows the laws set forth in its tribal constitution.