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.
What did the Chumash tribe do for fun?
The Chumash Indians
liked to gamble
. The dice was made out of walnut shells. They played contests and played games at special ceremonies. The Chumash Indians liked to play games.
What did Chumash tribe eat?
The Chumash made great use of the abundant natural resources at their disposal. Their diet was rich in
acorn meal, fish and shellfish, elderberry, bulbs, roots, and mustard greens
. Their domed homes, called aps, were made with willow poles and tule rush.
What makes the Chumash tribe unique?
Their invention and use of the plank canoe, their extraordinary baskets, tools and bead making, their customs and beliefs, and their craftmanship
are what make the Chumash Indians unique. Each Chumash family lived in a house called an ‘ap. A village would have many such dwellings.
What were the Chumash known for building?
Tule Mat Lodges: The Chumash tribe of California lived in shelters of dome-shaped shelters called Tule Mat Lodges. To build the
tule grass houses
, the Chumash men first created a circular willow framework.
Are there still Chumash people?
Today, the Chumash are estimated to have a
population of 5,000 members
. Many current members can trace their ancestors to the five islands of Channel Islands National Park.
What was the Chumash daily life?
Chumash people lived in
grass houses
, which are made of a domed wooden frame thatched with grass. Some of these houses were quite large (fifty feet in diameter) and could house an entire extended family. Chumash people do not live in these old-fashioned dwellings today, any more than other Americans live in log cabins.
What does the word Chumash mean?
1 plural Chumash :
a member of an Indigenous people of southwestern California
.
Who was the leader of the Chumash tribe?
Kenneth Kahn
, tribal leader of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, talks about progress of the tribe and tribal leaders’ goals.
What did the Chumash sleep on?
Unlike most early Californians, the Chumash slept
in framed beds raised off the ground
and they covered themselves with skins and shawls.
What fish did Chumash eat?
The most important food for the Chumash was the acorn, which they gathered from the live oak trees. Those who lived along the coast also depended on sea food. They ate many
ocean fish (shark, sea bass, halibut, bonito)
as well as mussels, barnacles, and clams. Abalone was a main food on the islands.
What did the Chumash use for money?
Chumash Indians were using
highly worked shell beads
as currency 2,000 years ago. Summary: Archaeologists show that the Chumash Indians had been using shell beads as money for at least 800 years.
Is the Chumash tribe federally recognized?
Located on the Santa Ynez Reservation in Santa Barbara County, California, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians was federally recognized in 1901 and
remains the only federally- recognized Chumash tribe
in the nation.
What plants did the Chumash use?
Other plants important to Chumash manufacturing included
elderberry
, used for whistles, clapper sticks, and bows; willow, used for house frameworks, basketry, and cordage; tule, used for matting and for thatching houses; and milkweed, used for string.
What did the Chumash use as tools?
They
made bows and arrows usually for hunting
. They used these bows and arrows to kill animals for food, clothing, and to make other tools. They also used spears and knives to kills animals, skin animals, clean fish, and cut things like food.
What religion is Chumash?
Some Chumash became Catholics reluctantly and returned to their traditional religious practices when the mission system ended. Many, however, retained the Christian belief in a supreme being. Although many modern-day Chumash identify themselves as
Catholic
, few attend mass on a regular basis.
