Prior to the arrival of Europeans in California, Ventura County was home to the Chumash tribe. A Land Acknowledgement expressing Chumash as the original stewards of Ventura County is necessary to move in the direction of reparations for the immeasurable loss of home, people, and culture they incurred as the land was re-settled. Please add such a Land Acknowledgement to official government websites of the county and all cities within Ventura County.

According to the University of Iowa Native American Council:

"A Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history.

Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. It is also worth noting that acknowledging the land is Indigenous protocol."

"Los Angeles and Ventura Counties lie within the traditional territories of at least six greater Tribal Nations: the Chumash, Fernandeño, Tataviam, Kitanemuk, Gabrieleno, and Serrano. The descendants of these nations are still here today, living and working in the communities Caltrans District 7 serves." (from Caltrans District 7 Division of Environmental Planning, September 7, 2021)

Please sign this petition to request that a Land Acknowledgement be added to the Ventura County and all city/town websites recognizing the Indigenous Peoples of the area now called Ventura County as the stewards of these lands from time immemorial.