CLUE Santa Barbara

We share this enlightening article on the life and passing of our Barbareño Chumash elder, Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto, written thoughtfully by our CLUE SB board member Wayne Martin Mellinger.

Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto (a nurse) was a devoted activist for environmental rights and was key to saving the San Marcos Foothills.
We mourn her and cherish the memories and lessons that she left us. May she Rest in Peace, may she Rest in Power. 🙏🙏🙏

Wayne Mellinger: Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto a Living Thread to Survival of Chumash Heritage Some people remember a culture. Others carry it. Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto belongs unmistakably to the latter category. To encounter her—even briefly — is