Chumash Village
Chumash Ap
This is the type of shelter used by the Chumash Native Americans who
lived along the cost of California
Nearby there is a bedrock mortar, a fossil dig, and a ceremonial fire ring blessed by the Chumash.
To create a ceremonial fire ring, both the selection of
rocks and construction are traditions passed down generation
to generation within the Chumash Culture. This ceremony is held sacred
among the Chumash people
Chumash Ceremonial Fire Ring
A bit of Chumash History...
The Chumash were hunter-gatherers and were adept at fishing at the time of Spanish colonization. They are one of the relatively few New World peoples who regularly navigated the ocean. Some settlements built plank boats called tomols, which facilitated the distribution of goods and could even be used for whaling. They were also adept at making remarkable baskets, stone cookware, and shell beads.
With settlements scattered between the mountains and the sea, the trading between tribes helped to make the Chumash society strong. The Chumash had a tiered society with manual laborers to the skilled crafters, to the chiefs, and to the shaman priests.
Samala
One particular shaman known as Samala, or by his Christian name of Rafael Solares, is well known in the history of Ventura County.
Remains of a developed
Chumash culture, including rock paintings apparently depicting the
Chumash cosmology such as
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park can still be seen.
Also located at the Stagecoach Inn Museum is the Chumash Artifact Exhibit. The collection is showcased below the Inn and is believed to be the most complete collection of the Chumash tribes of the area.