Barbareno

"Barbareno" is based on a true story about the Santa Barbara Chumash Native American Tribe of the 19th century California frontier era, who fought for their survival against all odds (despite 95% of their population annihilated). Helping them with an "underground railroad" on his Dos Pueblos Ranch for refuge, was Irish immigrant Nicholas Den, who was a rancher and the first medical doctor in Santa Barbara. With the Chumash Indian Tribe almost wiped out due to multiple epidemics and institutionalized slavery, he learned their native language and homeopath medicines to help save lives. Additionally, during the Mexican American War, he treated prisoners of war on both sides, and was given the title "Comandante" of the Santa Barbara Presidio by U.S. Navy Commodore Robert Field Stockton when Santa Barbara was under martial law. Nicholas Den was a pacifist, however, when cattle thieves threatened his 25,000 acre ranch, his Dos Pueblos Chumash Indian workers took up arms to defend Den, in addition to attending his wedding, and mourning at his passing in 1862. As Nicholas Den's dying act, despite him having a life threatening case pneumonia, he selflessly rode on horseback miles in the rain to save the life of a pregnant Chumash Indian woman who was undergoing complications; Den died later that night of his pneumonia.