The Secrets Of The Chumash People
The Chumash were once one California's most powerful Indigenous tribes. While few of us have heard of them of today, their history is etched along the Californian coastline, in ancient cave paintings and the names of popular destinations like Ojai and Malibu. And while the Chumash are one of few Californian tribes to make it to this day and age, getting here has been no easy journey.
One With The Ocean
It's said that the Pacific Ocean is the first home of the Chumash. Their ancestors relied on fishing to survive and caught fish by using line and pointed bones as hooks. They also used canoes to hunt marine animals like seals and sea otters.
Where Do They Live?
For more than 13,000 years, the Chumash have called California's coast home. Today, there are about 5,000 Chumash people living in their traditional territory, which encompasses three islands in the Santa Barbara Channel: Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel.
Their Name
The Chumash were known for making beads from the shells of sea snails. It's those beads that gave the tribe their name It was in those early days that the Chumash first started making beads from the shells of marine snails. These beads would give the tribe their name—“Chumash” means “seashell people” or "bead maker”. The early Chumash also called themselves “the first people”.
Gerald Cassidy, Wikimedia Commons
They Were Sailors
At the time of first contact in 1572, the Chumash were one of the few seafaring Indigenous tribes in the Americas. In some communities, they built plank canoes called “tomol”, which could be used for whaling expeditions or to transport goods.
Robert Schwemmer, Wikimedia Commons
Deer Hunting
While seafood made up a lot of the Chumash diet, they also hunted deer. Chumash hunters dressed up as deer and would pretend to graze next to a herd until they could get close enough to take a shot.
Acorns
Acorns were incredibly valuable—and all because of how incredibly dangerous they were. Right off the tree, the acorns were poisonous, and it took a long time to make them safe for consumption. Once the acorns were edible, they could be ground up and added to soup or turned into a paste that could be stored for years.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Sedentary Life
Since the weather in California was nice year-round and there was no shortage of food, the Chumash lived in villages rather than as nomads. This sedentary lifestyle would lead to the creation of a trade network between three main regional groups: the coastal, inland, and mainland Chumash.
Gerald Cassidy, Wikimedia Commons
Chumash Beads
Beads were a form of currency to the Chumash. They were often made from the shell of the Purple Olive sea snail, and shaped into small disks. The worth of the beads depended on which part of the shell they were made of—beads made from the thick part of the shell (called a callus) were worth twice as much as beads from the wall of the shell.
Strands of beads were valued according to their length, which was measured by how many times the string could wrap around a person’s hand.
Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons
Chumash Cave Paintings
The ancient Chumash people left behind glimpses into their lives in the form of rock art. Their colorful petroglyphs adorn the walls of caves and cliffs, depicting images of humans, animals, and abstract patterns. Curious travelers can see this art for themselves at Chumash Painted Cave Historic Park.
Doc Searls, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Scorpion Tree
The scorpion tree is an important feature in Chumash culture. Many years ago, Chumash shamans carved the image of a six-legged creature wearing a headdress made of a crown and two spheres into the trunk of an oak tree. It is believed that the Chumash used the scorpion tree to observe the stars and calibrate the Chumash calendar.
Jerónimo Roure Pérez, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Chumash Basketry
The Chumash are famous for their basketry skills. Throughout their long history, the have used hand-woven baskets in all aspects of daily life, from storing things to carrying food and water. The Chumash were also known for their stone cookware.
San Fernando Valley History Library, Wikimedia Commons
Chumash Basketry (cont’d)
There are two different ways the Chumash make their baskets: twined or coiled. Coiled baskets are the most popular since they can form trays and bowls of all shapes and sizes. Twined baskets are usually used for things like fish traps, sieves, cradles, and water containers.
Leon de Cessac, Wikimedia Commons
Their Villages
Chumash villages ranged in size, with some being very small and others being as large as a modern town. Each village had a playground, which was basically a smooth, level area where people could play games like kickball. It was common for people to bet on the outcome of these games.
TOLocal, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Chumash Chiefs
Each village was led by a chief. Chiefs were usually men, but women could also be a chief. The chiefs were responsible for distributing beads and other goods to the people in the community.
The Shamans
Chumash shamans were seen as intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. This gave them the power to ask spirits for help during hard times—for example, praying to bring rain during a drought. Shamans also passed on traditional knowledge with storytelling and songs. Shamans could be any gender.
Health Beauty Life, Wishtoyo Chumash Village of Malibu
The Shamans (cont’d)
In addition to their spiritual powers, Chumash shamans had a deep knowledge of herbal medicines. They often acted as doctors, using tried-and-true remedies like willow bark to soothe sore throats, elder flowers to cure colds, and poison oak to treat wounds.
Health Beauty Life, Wishtoyo Chumash Village of Malibu
Their Homes
Chumash houses were dome-shaped structures called ‘ap. They were made by sticking willow poles into the ground, in a circle, and then bending the poles at the top. Smaller branches were then threaded crosswise to finish off the frame.
Their Homes (cont’d)
The homes were covered with bulrushes or cattails that were layered from the bottom up. The overlapping rows of vegetation acted like roof shingles, which kept rain out of the homes. A hole was left open at the top of the house to let in air or let campfire smoke out.
Health Beauty Life, Wishtoyo Chumash Village of Malibu
Their Homes (cont’d)
Chumash houses could be anywhere from 12 to 20 feet in diameter. The chief’s house was bigger, up to 35 feet in diameter.
Health Beauty Life, Wishtoyo Chumash Village of Malibu
The Sweathouse
Every Chumash village had a sweathouse, which was called an ‘apa'yik. Part of the sweathouse was underground, and people entered the building via a ladder that came down from the roof. The sweathouses were mostly used by men.
Health Beauty Life, Wishtoyo Chumash Village of Malibu
The Sweathouse (cont’d)
Inside the sweathouse, a fire was used to warm up stones which then kept the things nice and warm inside. People would often spend quite a while in the sweathouse before going outside and jumping into cool water, like a creek.
Chumash Life, Chumash Culture Day
The Sweathouse (cont’d)
Herbs could be burned in the sweathouse for purification or medicinal benefits. Before a hunt, it was customary for hunters to go to the sweathouse, where the smoke from the herbs would engulf them and cover their scent from their prey.
Chumash Life, Chumash Culture Day
What Did They Wear?
Because the weather was so warm in California, the Chumash didn’t wear a lot of clothes. Women wore a two-piece skirt made out of deer skin or plant fiber. The skirt was about knee-length and had a narrow apron in the front, connected to a wider piece that went around the back.
Chumash Life, Chumash Culture Day
What Did They Wear? (cont’d)
Chumash men usually didn’t wear any clothes. If they were hunting or working, they might wear a belt or tie a small net around their waist for carrying their tools. On colder days, the Chumash sometimes wore capes made of animal hides. To show their status, the chief usually wore a waist-length bearskin cape.
Chumash Life, Chumash Culture Day
The Third Gender
While Chumash did adhere to certain gender roles, such as men doing the hunting and women being primarily responsible for childcare, the Chumash were unique in that they recognized a third gender called ‘Aqi. ‘Aqi were biological men who wore traditional women’s clothes and performed domestic work rather than go on hunts.
Chumash Life, A Museum in the Works
The Arrival Of The Spanish
The arrival of Spanish explorers signaled a difficult time of change for the Chumash. In 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portola arrived in the Santa Barbara Channel and promptly got to work constructing five Spanish missions in Chumash territory. Many Chumash moved from their villages into the missions.
Mass Casualties
Missions weren’t the only things the Spanish brought to the Chumash—they also introduced new diseases, and the Chumash found their people falling to these new illnesses at unprecedented rates. But sickness would seem like a small burden compared to what came next.
Chumash Life, Power To The Women
Mass Casualties (cont’d)
By 1846, the United States government solidified their foothold in California. What followed was time horror for the natives of the land. The California Genocide lasted from 1846 to 1873 and saw thousands of Indigenous people in the state meet brutal ends at the hands of US Government agents and American settlers. By 1900, the Chumash were on the brink of extinction, with a population of just 200 people.
Chumash Life, Chumash Culture Day
Undefeated
Thanks to the resilience and determination of their ancestors, the Chumash are still a thriving Indigenous community. While many live in the towns along the Santa Barbara Channel, The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash is the only federally recognized Chumash tribe in America. Their reservation in the Santa Ynez Valley is home to many Chumash families as well as the Chumash tribal government and the highly rated Chumash Casino Resort.
Chumash Life, Chumash Culture Day
The Living Legacy Of The Chumash
Thankfully, the last few decades have seen a revitalization of Chumash culture. The Santa Ynez Chumash offer many programs for community members and curious visitors, ensuring that Chumash culture and traditions live on for years to come.
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