Semu Huaute

Semu Huaute is the last Chumash medicine man and is one of the last few Chumash people alive. He is in his nineties and was born into the Owl Clan in the mountains near Ojai, California. His father was a respected healer of the Road Runner clan. His apprenticeship began with the elders from the Chumash, Yaqui, and Aztec Indian peoples. This journey took him most of forty years.
For the last thirty years, "Grandfather" Semu has traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad to offer seminars on traditional healing, his way of life, culture and history to both professional groups and the general public. In 1985 he was honored by being asked to light the opening fire for the World Peace Conference in Inerlaken, Switzerland where he met the Dalai Lama. Grandfather Semu has been performing seminars, speaking engagements and ceremonies, including the traditional Chumash Wedding as well as an ancient rite of cord cutting.

In the 1930's Grandfather Semu was a professional prize fighter. He served as gunners mate in the United States Navy during WWII and has acting credits in numerous film and television productions. He has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild since 1969 and a member of the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts since its founding in 1983.

Seminars, Cultural Education and Ceremonies

1965 Taught Indian Folklore in the Arlington School District, Arlington, Massachusetts.

1966 Taught Indian Folklore in the Rush/Henrietta School District, Rochester, New
York. Sponsored by Dr. Schuster to lecture to psychiatrists at the University of Rochester, New York.

1972-1980Founder and Director of the Red Wind Foundation, an inter-tribal and inter-racial community on 160 acres near San Luis Obispo California, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural and religious heritage of the Chumash and oth er American Indians.

1976-80 '87 American Indian Counselor at the California Men's Colony correctional facility located in San Luis Obispo, California.

1977 Performed the first traditional Native American (Chumash) marriage ceremony to be recognized by the Superior Court of California.

1979-81 Guest lecturer for Environmental Studies Department of the University of California, Santa Cruz; Sponsored by Eli Hollander.

1982-90 Series of seminars at the Ojai Foundation on Chumash traditions, ceremonies and way of life, Ojai, California.

1984-89 Founder and Director of Muhu Tasen Foundation, an inter-tribal and inter-racial Educational Healing Center. Semu turned it over in 1989 to other Chumash traditionalists.

1985 Guest speaker at the World Peace Conference, Inerlocken, Switzerland. He offered the opening prayer and sang the Chumash welcome
song.

1991 Founder and President of UN-AT-KAH TASEN INCORPORATED, a non-profit organization founded for the purpose of raising funds to establish and operate an inter-tribal and inter-racial Educational Healing Center where traditional Native American elders, healers, and teachers will come to share their culture with the people.

1992 Guest speaker at Earth Day '92 in San Diego.

1992 Intensive seminar, lecture and ceremonial tour in Innerlocken, Switzerland and Bavaria, Germany.

1993 Intensive seminar, lecture and ceremonial tour in Biel, Switzerland; Munich, Germany, and Vienna, Austria.

1992-94 Semu has been on the road extensively doing fund raisers, performing weddings and genetic cord cutting ceremonies.

Film and Television

1981 Actor: OUT (staring Peter Coyote) Producer/Director Eli Hollider.

1985 Actor: We Are One for Nebraska Educational Television
Network, Producer/Director Chet Kincaid.

1985 Actor: Commercial for "Clan Rainbow", Spots Films, London, England.

1985 Voice-over narration; Broken Arrow (Academy award winning documentary)
Producers/Directors Victorian Mudd & Maria Florio

1986 Actor: Commercial for "Little Ceasar's Pizza".

1989 Actor: Renegade (staring Lou Diamond Phillips and Floyd "Red
Crow" Westerman)

1989 Actor: Western for Coe Hahn Inc. Productions, producer Richard
Hahn.

1989 Actor: Eternity (staring Jon Voight) Preferred Productions, Dorothy
Koster producer.

1989 Actor: Young Riders, MGM/Turner Productions.

Adwaita Spenden
translation: Details of the Semu Huaute Chumash donation. Semu Huaute is one of the last Native Americans of the Chumash tribe, who has adopted, some years ago the interest of painter Petra Schwabe, which kindly made available the art of " Michael Jackson " for a publication. Semu Huaute lent the name Amua Anwa, i.e. Rainbow Woman to piece. Mrs. Schwabe is in constant contact with this Chumash Indian and supports their efforts to establish a welfare center and pass their age-old knowledge on donating three per cent of proceeds of sale to the ADWAITA publishing house who takes part in this project.