Villages along the coastline, on the islands and in the interior had access to different resources, which they traded with one another. This trade was made possible in part by the seagoing plank canoe, or tomol , which was invented by 1, years ago. In addition to the plank canoe, the Chumash are known for their fine basketry, their mysterious cave paintings and their bead money made from shells.
Today, there are still many people who can trace their ancestry back to these historic Chumash communities. Now you can learn more about how the Chumash people once lived, what customs they practiced, how they made money and what kinds of food they ate.
At one time there were hundreds of separate Chumash settlements here in Santa Barbara. Some villages were as large as towns while others were quite small. The villages were constructed on high ground near lagoons, creek mouths, lakes, or springs.
The largest towns were built along the mainland coast near the Santa Barbara Channel. Hunters also made traps for small animals, and would sometimes use fire to drive rabbits out into the open, where they would kill them with throwing sticks.
They sometimes even ate bear cubs, but probably did not risk hunting adult grizzly bears. Because they lived so close to the sea, the Chumash diet included a large variety of marine animals. Otter, sea lion, porpoises and even whales when they washed ashore would become food for the Chumash.
Of course, with their tomol boats, they were able to collect a large supply of fish, as well as mollusks like clams, mussels and barnacles. Like most people, the Chumash loved to play games. Many of the games they played were common to other Indian groups in California. These games involved marbles, balls, sticks and other objects. One game they played was much like lacrosse and involved using sticks to try and roll a small ball into holes placed at either end of a field.
The Chumash also liked to play games of chance or gambling games with dice or other objects. One of the most popular games was to try and throw a long pole through a hoop made of bark or branches as it rolled along. The Chumash were fond of songs and dances. During celebrations, such as a victory in war, Chumash men would often paint their bodies and wear feathers, while they danced for hours.
Though they had no drums, they would play other musical instruments such as whistles, flutes and rattles. Later, during the mission period, Chumash musicians became very accomplished at playing all sorts of Latin American and European instruments, such as guitars, violins, cellos and trumpets. Chumash families were often grouped together into clans. A clan is a group of families with common ancestors.
Oftentimes these clans would be identified with an animal, such as the eagle or coyote. Villages would be made up of people of different clans, and it was common to marry someone from outside your clan. Chumash people lived in homes, which they called aps. These homes were similar to those of other California Indians.
They were usually round, and made of a frame of long poles, with grass and reeds woven between them. In the middle of the floor was a fire pit, and there would be beds with skins to cover them. It was normal to have a hole in the roof to let out smoke from the fire and to let in light, though sometimes they would have two or three other windows.
Although most homes would be fairly small about feet in diameter early Spanish explorers said they saw very large houses that could hold multiple families. Sometimes whale bones or vertebrae could be used for furniture or supports. Each village had a chief or wot , who was its leader. The wot usually had a council of advisors. Sometimes there were groups of villages organized together under a paqwot , who was a major chieftain. In the village there would usually be a temescal or sweat house.
It is a closed building dug into the earth with a small door. The rich history and lifeways of the Chumash people is preserved in those art forms, which were passed down to the children of each generation to today. The Chumash are a maritime culture, known as hunters and gatherers. Our boats - canoes, called tomols - enabled abundant fishing and trade, traveling up and down the coast to other villages. Tomols are usually constructed from redwood or pine logs. Chumash people were not dependent upon farming, as were other Native American tribes.
Acorns, seeds, bulbs, roots and nuts were seasonal staples, as was wild game, including bears, seals, otters, shellfish, deer and rabbits.
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