Kenneth Kahn is the kind of guy women swoon over and men envy. Young, handsome, and ponytailed, he drives a Tesla and rides any bike with two wheels. To call him a smooth talker would be an understatement. His charm appears to be a natural gift. And now he is the leader of a sovereign nation.
Three months ago, Kahn, 39, was elected chair of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. For at least 5,000 years, Chumash lived in populous villages throughout the Central Coast and Channel Islands. During the Spanish-Mexican era, however, European diseases, the Mission systems, and racial violence decimated their numbers.
In 1901, the federal government recognized the Santa Ynez Band as an official Native American nation, putting it under control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and giving it sovereign rights over its 144-acre reservation along Highway 246. Today, even though other groups claim to be Chumash, only the Santa Ynez Band has federal status. Though the tribe has not released exact numbers, it is estimated that around 140 people meet the Band’s required one-quarter Chumash blood ancestry to become registered members.