California Studies
Feb 26 2024 - Chumash Tribe of Channel Islands National Park - Home

The northern Channel Islands bear witness to a human history that stretches back thousands of years.

Chumash Population
The Channel Islands have been shaped by the rich cultures of the Chumash and Tongva peoples. Their heritage is evident in the 148 historic village sites found across the islands, with seasonal occupation on Anacapa Island due to water scarcity. Meanwhile, the Tongva, or Gabrieleno, were closely associated with the southernmost island, Santa Barbara, and the Southern Channel Islands. Although they did not establish permanent settlements on Santa Barbara Island, they were adept ocean navigators and traders, much like the Chumash, with whom they shared the rich resources of the coast and islands.
Tomols
The earliest inhabitants of the islands, isolated from the mainland, harnessed the abundant marine resources. They constructed tomols, plank canoes made from redwood logs that floated down the coast. These tomols, ranging from eight to thirty feet in length, could accommodate three to ten people.
Social Hierarchy
When European explorers, led by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, arrived in the Santa Barbara Channel, they discovered a thriving society of 21 villages spread across the three largest islands of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz. These islands were home to a complex social hierarchy that included an upper class of chiefs, shamans, boat builders, and artisans, a middle class of workers, fisherman, and hunters, and a lower class of the poor and outcast. However, due to the scarcity of fresh water, Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands were not permanently inhabited.
Spanish Arrival
Unfortunately, the arrival of the Europeans marked the beginning of a decline for the native population, as they brought with them diseases to which the Chumash had no immunity. The situation worsened as European colonists began to settle along the coast, introducing new economic enterprises, exploiting the marine resources, and establishing Catholic missions. These changes depleted the native food sources, disrupted the native economies, and led to a further decline in the island populations. By the 1820s, the last of the island Chumash had relocated to the mainland, with many settling in the Missions at Santa Ynez, San Buenaventura, and Santa Barbara.
Food
Acorns were a vital food source for numerous California Indian tribes. The acorns were then ground into a meal, leached to eliminate the tannic acid and bitter taste, and cooked into a mush. The Island Chumash also gathered acorns, but oak trees are less prevalent on the Channel Islands than on the mainland. To augment their acorn supply and other medicinal and food plants, the islanders either traded or embarked on gathering expeditions to the mainland.
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