Talk and Film Screening with Ernestine de Soto

Chumash Elder Ernestine de Soto will give introductory remarks before a screening of 6 Generations, a documentary film about her family history. In the film Ernestine de Soto embodies six generations of history, as she gives voice to the experiences of her female ancestors, dating back to the moment of first contact, through Missionization, Revolt, and beyond. The film also recounts the story of Ernestine’s mother, Mary Yee, the last native speaker of the Chumashan Barbareño language, and her work to preserve the language with linguist John P. Harrington, which Ernestine has continued with Dr. John Johnson at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. This story bears profound implications for how we view the objects in Sacred Art in the Age of Contact, and demonstrates the continued perseverance of the Chumash peoples.