What is "satwiwa"

Satwiwa ( Chumash for "the bluffs") was a former Chumash village just north of Big Sycamore Canyon in southern Newbury Park. Located adjacent to Rancho Sierra Vista within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, it is one of the four primary entrances to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center is operated by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Friends of Satwiwa.

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 in order to get from the Conejo Valley to the Mugu Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean. The Chumash traded with the Gabrieleño-Tongva Indians, who mostly lived in areas of Los Angeles County. Numerous Chumash artifacts and petroglyphs have been discovered in the surrounding area, particularly along the Arroyo Conejo on its way to its estuary in the Mugu Lagoon. Satwiwa is situated at the foothills of Boney Mountain, 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 for events such as community dancing and celebrations of various ceremonies, e.g. summer solstice and the Hutash ceremony.

Bordering thousands of acres of wilderness in the Santa Monica Mountains, the fauna surrounding Satwiwa includes golden eagles, mountain lions, Valley coyotes, snakes, bobcats, foxes, falcons, and hawks. Sometimes referred to as the backdoor to the Point Mugu State Park, the Backbone Trail crosses the Boney Mountain State Wilderness in the Santa Monica Mountains and ends in Point Mugu, California.