At the time of European contact, the Chumash were the exclusive occupants of the Santa Barbara, inhabited a region along southern California’s coast and islands that covered about 25,000 square kilometers. Archaeological evidence indicates that for at least a thousand years this group maintained continuity in cultural customs, social organization, and religious practices.
Characteristics of the Chumash
Considered one of the most populous, prosperous, and socio-politically complex tribes in California, the Chumash are attributed with having had an elaborate artistic and technological tradition. The group is unique in their promotion of craft specializations in both their plank boat production and shell bead manufacturing. The combination of these two industries was probably instrumental in the development of an extensive trade network between the ChannelIsland groups and those on the mainland. The plank boats were a distinctive part of the culture of the Chumash and may have brought their owners social prestige as well as a source of wealth through trade with other groups.
Lifestyle of the Chumash
The Chumash were able to support a large, sedentary population because of the rich maritime resources available to them. An abundant food supply enabled the group to develop a culture characterized by social stratification over 2500 years ago. Some of the features of Chumash society were inherited status, social elites, and leaders who exercised authority over multiple communities. By the time of the first contact with Europeans, the Chumash had utilized methods of long-term food storage and developed a complex religious system manifested in elaborate mortuary ritual.
The Use of Ocher Among the Chumash
Ethnographic and archaeological data indicate that ocher had both utilitarian and ritual uses among the Chumash, ranging from its use as body paint for ceremonies to its use as a sealant in canoe making. Burials covered with powdered ocher have been found in the region dating from at least four thousand years ago, but as the people in the area developed into a socially organized and cohesive group, this practice diminished. By the time that the Chumash reached the pinnacle of their culture, ocher in burials was primarily in the form of paint on grave goods. In particular, effigies buried with individuals usually showed indications of having been painted with ocher prior to interment.
The Chumash in Historic Times
The first European contact with the Chumash occurred around 1542 when Spanish vessels sailing north from Mexico landed in what is now California. A diary kept by one of the crew recorded the earliest European impressions of the Chumash of that period. It wasn't until 1769 that Spanish settlers began arriving in Southern California in great numbers and began establishing missions throughout the area for the purpose of Christianizing the native peoples. Though contact with the Spanish had a significant impact on the evolution of the Chumash society, the tribe managed to adapt while still holding on to aspects of its culture. Today the Chumash are a federally recognized tribe and continue to preserve their rich heritage.
Sources
J. Arnold, The Origins of a Pacific Coast Chiefdom: The Chumash of the Channel Islands, 2001.
J. Earlandson, Archaeology of the California Coast During the Middle Holocene, 1997.
B. Fagan, "The House of the Sea: An Essay on the Antiquity of the Planked Canoes in Southern California" from American Antiquity 69(1).
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