Kuya'mu, California
Kuya'mu was a Native American village of the Chumash people located on the Gaviota Coast in the modern-day county of Santa Barbara, California in the United States.
In 1602, the Viscaino expedition stopped by the Goleta Valley and the nearby Chumash village of Mikiw, known today as Dos Pueblos. The village was situated on the Pacific coast, at the site of the current Dos Pueblos in the city of Goleta, California. To its west, across the Dos Pueblos Creek, was the adjacent coastal village of Mikiw.
In August 1769, the Spanish missionary and explorer Juan Crespí recorded that Mikiw and Kiya'mu were "very large villages with vast numbers of people and a great many houses in each, where they have their towns at the very edge of the sea."
Modern Cultural Significance and Preservation
In recent decades, Kuya'mu has become a focal point for cultural preservation and environmental stewardship along the Gaviota Coast. The site lies within the area known as Naples, a stretch of undeveloped coastline that has drawn attention from developers, conservationists, and Chumash descendants alike. Proposed residential and commercial developments in the region have sparked widespread activism aimed at protecting the ecological integrity and cultural heritage of the land.
Local Chumash leaders and organizations have emphasized that Kuya'mu is not merely an archaeological site but a living cultural landscape. Descendants of the Chumash people continue to advocate for access to the land for ceremonial use, education, and ecological restoration. Efforts to preserve Kuya'mu are often tied to broader campaigns to safeguard sacred sites and promote Indigenous land stewardship practices.
The Dos Pueblos Ranch, which encompasses the Kuya'mu site, has been central to these discussions. Conservation groups and tribal representatives have worked to ensure that any future land use respects the historical and spiritual significance of the area. These efforts reflect a growing recognition of the importance of Indigenous voices in land management and cultural heritage preservation.