What clothes did the women wear? The type of clothes worn by the Chumash women included aprons or skirts that covered the front and back made of shredded willow bark. Special clothes were strung with ornaments, tassels, shells and quills. Twined tule slippers or moccasins covered their feet and in the winter they wore fur robes for warmth. What did the Chumash tribe live in? 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. The size was about 7 - 10 feet in diameter and about 7 feet high - the chief's house was up to 35 feet across. The Chumash women harvested the long green stems of tule which were dried over several weeks. After the tule grass had dried, the women weaved and sewed the tule rushes into rectangular mats about 2 feet wide. The mats were sewn together with dogbane (Indian hemp) and tied to the willow frame. An opening in the roof created a smoke hole. The doors of the Chumash tule mat lodges always faced towards the east and were built near water. What food did the Chumash tribe eat? The food that the Chumash tribe ate varied according to the natural resources of their location. Their food included staple diet of acorns which they ground into acorn meal to make soup, cakes and bread. These great fishers used nets and harpoons to capture sharks and even whales. Smaller fish such as sea bass, trout, shellfish and halibut were primary food sources. The inland Chumash hunted deer (venison), elk, fowl, and small game such as rabbits and quail. The Miwok hunter-gathers collected other foods including nuts, mushrooms, various greens, roots, bulbs, and berries. Dried seaweed was considered a delicacy. What weapons did the Chumash use? The weapons made by the Chumash included the use of Obsidian that was abundant throughout their territory and was used to make arrowheads, spear points, harpoons, knives, and various tools and scrapers. Chumash History Timeline: What happened to the Chumash tribe? The following Chumash history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks of the people. The Chumash timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe. Chumash History Timeline AD 700: The ancient Chumash people settled in Santa Barbara Bay 1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explores California, makes the first European contact with the Chumash and claims the land for Spain In 1769, a Spanish land expedition, led by Gaspar de Portola, left Baja California and reached the Santa Barbara Channel 1770: Spanish settle on the territory of the Chumash. 1776: Santa Barbara Mission is built and the Spanish mission system is established in Southern California 1790's: The Spanish began raiding Chumash villages for converts forcing them to work as slaves in Spanish missions. 1796 - 1823: The Chumash are forcibly moved to the following missions: San Luis Obispo, Mission La Purisima, Mission Santa Ynez, Mission Santa Barbara and Mission San Buenaventura 1800's: The Spanish devastate the Chumash culture 1812: Earthquake and tidal wave and many Chumash move further inland 1821: Mexico wins its independence from Spain and takes control of Alta and Baja California 1824: The Chumash Revolt of 1824 involved conflicts and Chumash uprisings at Missions Santa Ines, La Purisima, and Santa Barbara. The revolt was sparked by the routine whipping of an Indian at the Santa Ynez mission and escalated as Chumash rebelled against the ill treatment and forced labor imposed by the priests and soldiers 1824: The uprising fails following four moths of conflict and the Chumash leaders, Mariano, Pacomio, Benito, and Bernarde, were sentenced to 10 years of chain-gang labor 1824: Surviving rebels are indentured to Mexicans 1833: Cholera and Malaria epidemics kill many Chumash people 1833: American fur trappers found a village of Chumash living near Walker Pass who had fled from the Spanish missions during the 1824 revolt 1838: Smallpox epidemic (1838-1839) spreads amongst the Chumash 1838: The Alta California missions are closed as religious and farming communes 1841: The California Trail opens 1846: South Emigrant Road aka the Applegate Trail opens 1848: California is passed to the US with the Treaty of Guadalupe 1848: January 24, 1848: Gold is discovered at Sutter's timber Mill starting the California Gold rush 1848: The white settlers and gold prospectors bring more diseases to the Native Indians who lived in the surrounding areas of the westward trails
Descendants of the Chumash live on the Zanja de Cota Reservation and the on the Santa Ynez Reservation in California. Chumash History Timeline |