Organization

Wishtoyo’s mission is to protect and preserve the culture, history, and life-ways of Chumash and Indigenous peoples, and the environment everyone depends on. Wishtoyo, the Chumash word for rainbow, serves as a “rainbow bridge” linking Chumash culture, wisdom, and values to present day protection of natural cultural resources.
Our work is guided by the wisdom of our Indigenous ancestors before us. Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation addresses pressing environmental issues by preserving and utilizing traditional Chumash knowledge and ways of life, protecting natural and cultural resources, and inspiring communities to have a greater awareness of our responsibility for, and relationship with, the land, air, and water. Wishtoyo achieves its mission through four programmatic components: protecting the environment, educating future stewards, preserving Chumash culture, and the mobilization of First Nations Peoples.