The Chumash People: Materials for Teachers and Students

The Chumash People have lived for centuries along the California coast and inland areas of what are now Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Over thousands of years, the Chumash achieved greater and greater success in wresting a livlihood from this territory. When Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, in 1542, Made the first exploration of the California coast, he described them as a flourishing, numerous, good-looking people, living in villages large enough to be called towns, and possessing plank canoes and other sophisticated items of manufacture. Spanish missionization and the subsequent history of occupation by Mexicans and European Americans meant destruction of the Chumash way of life. Through archaeology, the diligent studies of anthropologists, and the oral tradition of Chumash descendants (many of whom still live in the region), much of this way of life is being rediscovered and brought to the attention of the world. In this book, much of this information is presented in concise and entertaining form. Also included are discussion questions, games, songs, legends and activities to help students appreciate and understand this important California culture.