Chumash, << CHOO mash, >> are a group of Native American tribes in southern California. Traditionally, they lived along the Pacific coast between San Luis Obispo and Malibu (near Los Angeles) and inland to the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley. They also lived on the nearby Channel Islands (see Channel Islands National Park ). There were at least six Chumash groups, each with its own language. They built large ocean-going canoes called tomols and wove intricately decorated baskets. They also made cooking tools and bowls from stone and ceremonial paintings on rock.
The coastal Chumash lived in large grass-covered dwellings, each of which housed many related families. Most inland Chumash lived in smaller, single-family dwellings. Coastal Chumash caught fish, shellfish, marine birds, and sea mammals. Inland Chumash gathered plants and hunted deer and other animals. Acorns were also an important food for most Chumash.
The Spanish began building Roman Catholic missions on Chumash lands in the 1700’s. By the early 1800’s, most Chumash lived within the mission system. Diseases brought by Europeans reduced the Chumash population from as many as 22,000 in 1770 to about 300 in 1880. Today, about 5,000 Chumash live in the United States. Some live on the Santa Ynez Reservation near Santa Barbara, California. Most of the rest live in other places in their traditional homeland.
