OXNARD : Latinos Draw on Indian Tradition

Water is poured into a shallow pit of rocks placed in the middle of a circle of Latino youths and adults. As steam rises to the top of the wood-frame tent, group members sing songs and beat drums.

By participating in this old Native American Sweat Lodge ceremony, co-sponsored annually by El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, the Latinos open their hearts to each other and share their pain.

For Marcos Vargas, El Concilio’s executive director for five years, the Sweat Lodge is a means of nurturing and empowering Latinos to make positive changes in their community, and that is the central focus of El Concilio.

Vargas often sits alongside the youths during the ceremony. He says he has seen even “hard-core gang members really open up.”

“It provides an opportunity for them to . . . express the struggles and pains they’re going through as a young person,” he said, adding that El Concilio is concerned about gang violence in the area.

The Oxnard-based organization tries to help Latinos by lobbying to legalize immigrants’ status; promoting civic participation, such as service on school boards and city councils; and fighting for adequate housing and health care for all Latinos, Vargas said.

El Concilio’s full name translates into Ventura County Council, and the group is a consortium of 19 area community-based agencies.

Vargas sees himself as a facilitator, with the goal of aiding in the evolution of “Chicanismo,” which he defines as a consciousness of social activism among Americans of Mexican descent living in the United States.

He hopes to increase Latinos’ awareness of environmental issues and their own culture and to promote an appreciation for feminism and a responsibility for the planet.

Vargas also displays his appreciation of the Native American culture on his office wall: There hangs a dried bunch of sage, which is believed to have healing powers, he said.

Latinos make up 26% of the county’s population, and most of them are of Mexican descent, according to Vargas.

Despite their numbers, Latinos are barely represented on city councils around the county, and none sits on the county Board of Supervisors. Only one Latino serves on the Oxnard Elementary School District board, though Latinos make up the majority of students in that community. El Concilio, Vargas said, is working to get more Latinos in Ventura County leadership positions.

The organization, in addition to tutoring Spanish-speaking children in English, conducts forums and offers a variety of services in areas such as alcohol and substance abuse counseling.