The Chumash People
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”.
