Back to All Tribes
California
Chumash
~5,500Chumashan languages, EnglishSince 500 CE
About the Chumash People
The Chumash are maritime peoples of the Santa Barbara Channel, renowned for plank canoes (tomols), shell bead currency, and rock art connecting coastal villages with the islands.
Cultural Traditions
Tomol Canoe Voyages
Basketry
Rock Art
Bead Currency
Historical Timeline
1542
First contact with Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's expedition
1824
Chumash Uprising challenges mission rule
2001
Tomol crossings to Limuw (Santa Cruz Island) are renewed annually