Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
Last week the Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously to change the name of Indio Muerto Street to Hutash Street.
A request from the Barbañero Chumash Tribal Council stated “Indio Muerto,” which translates to “Dead Indian,” is found to be inappropriate and offensive to the tribe.
Additionally, the Tribal Trust Foundation, a local nonprofit with the mission of supporting the preservation of indigenous cultures and wisdom through philanthropy and education, started a change.org petition for the renaming. It received nearly 10,000 signatures.
“California Indian people have suffered through genocide, discrimination, slavery, stolen lands, and Treaties that failed to be ratified or honored. In this contemporary moment, where racist institutions have been met with increased scrutiny, we are requesting that the City of Santa Barbara change the street name ‘Indio Muerto’ to another name,” wrote Marcus V. Lopez, Chairman of the Barbareño Chumash Tribal Council.
“We propose to change the name of the street to Hutash, our mother earth, a name that has significant and positive meaning for us Chumash and other Indigenous Peoples. The street name Hutash reflects our beginnings, our Mother Earth, the strength and importance of women in our community, and the need for all peoples to recognize the ongoing pandemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Hutash Street would be a symbol of our collective survival, strength, and resilience, as well as call to heal from the past, present, and future violence and trauma that are the symptoms of colonialism and racism,” wrote Lopez.
Local historian Neal Graffy stated the street was named in 1851, as part of ten original street names, when city surveyors discovered the body of a dead Chumash man.
“The simple fact is for 169 years, Indio Muerto Street is the only monument to the burial place of an unknown man who died alone in the empty fields of Santa Barbara,” said Graffy. “To rename this street is to remove his headstone and any memory of his existence.”
The council voted 7-0 to change the name. It will cost the City of Santa Barbara about $1,500 to change nine street signs to Hutash that will be installed in December.
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July 19, 2020: Op-Ed – Petition to Rename Offensive Santa Barbara Street Name
I’m offended! I’m offended that I’m offended! Someone get offended with me! Let’s get so offended at every bit of minutia possible so we can create real and unnecessary change!
I’m all for renaming the street but to name it something that fosters more hate and negative feelings is wrong and blatantly racist. The US is a melting pot, we take the good from all of the wonderful cultures that we’re made up of and discard the bad. It evolves in a positive direction over time. Let’s build a good society not tear it down. Let’s act like civilized human beings and stop dividing people into groups based on their differences and victim status.
I was never offended and had read about the origins of the streets name years ago. I’m not against street renaming. I’m against the associated cost. When a group suddenly finds something offensive and proposes a solution, they should pay for it.
What a relief! This certainly makes up for everything done to my Native ancestors and I feel much better now. Well done.
Should all the street located on the Chumash reservation named after deceased people be renamed? Just because we don’t know his/her name, doesn’t make it less important to memorialize there life
Can’t wait for the anti-street renamers to start posting. Or maybe they only love the San Andres Street name?
Haskelslocal or is it Ha-Skelocale? How did I outdo myself my proving how childishly simple it is to say the word “Hutash?”
USians complaining about words makes me laugh. I wonder how Europeans manage to learn several languages and we struggle with one and mangle the few words we have from other languages. HI-geara Street. Pasa Robuls. Maybe they are just much smarter than we are?
“Indio Muerto” is/was not offensive. It is a statement of a time in our history. There are many many names through out our country that are reminiscent of the origins of our land. Sad that the cry babies gathered together for this silly change – I agree, some can be offensive, but this was not. Now, I can’t wait to see the trash talkers slam me…;-p
It’s not very pretty, and ambiguous in pronunciation. Not a finest moment.
Where is the city’s policy on street-naming. That will provide a fair playing field in the future instead of this ad hoc responses to noisy groups.
Of all the street names to call it, let’s come up with something random and hard to pronounce. So tell us street renaming committee created with paid for consultant contracts, who’s the favored patron that got their wish? Because obviously Dolphin Way was taken.
Anti-renamers did not disappoint.
As always Sacjon, (or is it Say Shawn?) you always out do yourself. You literally proved my point in your own post.
Bosco, you make a very profound point. Thumbs up and hats off. History is defined… You get it.