The Chumash community is searching for a missing tomol, a 25-foot wooden canoe they believe was stolen from Santa Barbara’s West Beach.
Community members first discovered the tomol was missing after not finding it in its typical spot near the outriggers on the beach over the weekend.
However, the Santa Barbara Police Department says the tomol’s disappearance is not a result of theft and is a civil matter, according to Lt. Antonio Montojo.
He said he does not know who currently is in possession of the vessel.
“Our investigating officers interviewed the people that were involved, and it seems like everyone is trying to understand who has actual standing over it,” he said.
Montojo said he did not know specifics regarding the circumstances of the tomol’s reported disappearance.
However, members of the Barbareño Chumash Tribal Council are not satisfied with the investigation’s findings and believe the missing tomol was stolen.
The canoe, named the Xax ‘Alolk’oy, meaning “big dolphin,” is under the ownership and care of the Barbareño Chumash Tribal Council, according to Steve Villa, a council member and tomol captain.
“There are only two people that can give the permission for that vessel to be moved, taken or done anything with, and they were not consulted,” Villa said.
Villa said the council and the Chumash Maritime Association have sent the Police Department ownership documentation in an effort to show the vessel was taken without permission.
“This is the first time a tomol has been stolen in our history,” Villa said.
The approximately 700-pound redwood canoe is usually tied down to a stand, he said.
The tomol is used by the Chumash community in an annual 24-mile crossing of the Santa Barbara Channel to Santa Cruz Island. It is also used daily for education and fishing activities, according to Villa.
“The vessels are an extension of our community, and we consider this an assault to our community,” he said. “It’s our spiritual connection to our ancestors and who we are as people.”
Harbor Commissioner Spenser Jaimes also took to social media on Monday to urge community members to be on the lookout for the wooden vessel.
“I was entrusted of taking care of her from 2022 to 2024, and she taught me how to navigate our ocean and she brought our community together,” he said in a social media video.
He wrote that the disappearance of the tomol off of the beach shows the importance of having a dedicated location to store it.
Alongside the missing tomol being reported to the Santa Barbara Police Department, it was also reported to the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol.
The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol did not immediately respond to Noozhawk’s request to comment.
Villa said the Barbareño Chumash Tribal Council will continue to work with the police to get the tomol back.
“This vessel is a family member to us,” he said.