Archaeological Culture

Joel Hanes 12/06/2013 Anth 1030

The Chumash are a Native American people that have called the central to southern California coastline and islands home for millenia. The theor is that at the end of the last ice a!e there "as a #$rid!e% connectin! &i$eria to the North American continent' a !roup came across this $rid!e and than do"n the coastline of North America until the reached the area (no"n toda as &anta )ar$ara' California. *rom the effects of the ice a!e the "ater level of the ocean "as 1+0 ft. lo"er than it is toda "hich aloud a lar!e island ,ust off the coast from &anta )ar$ara to $e "hole -it is three separate islands toda . and "as used $ some of the ancestral Chumash as a home as "ell. This time period in "hich the Ancestral Chumash made their "a to and lived in the &anta )ar$ara area is appro/imatel at 13000 )0. This time period $ein! at the end of the ice a!e !ave a cool and moist environment that supported e/tensive pine forests that covered the coast and islands. 1vidence from this time period is sparce $ecause a lar!e part of the island that the inha$ited is no" under"ater. &ome artifacts that have $een found are from a cave named 2ais Cave that has inha$ited multiple !enerations of the Chumash "hich is seen in the different la ers that have $een e/cavated. The cave sho"s fra!ments of $as(etr ' corda!e' seed3millin! stone' $eads' chert tools and an effi! in a fish3li(e shape have $een found that are in the strata from this earl time period' "ith later artifacts throu!h the la ers a$ove. 4ther evidence of the Chumash inha$itin! this area in that time period come from a "oman5s s(eleton that "as found in 16+3 $ 0hil C. 4rr the curator of anthropolo! of the &anta )ar$ara 7useum at the time' he had to "ait until radio car$on datin! "as !ood enou!h to find out the "oman "as 13000 ears old. The Ancestral Chumash in this time period lived on shellfish and harvestin! "ild seeds "hich "as found out $ !oin! throu!h a midden that is no" under"ater. 8+0036+00 )09 :n the time period (no"n as 7illin! &tone Hori;on' due to the lar!e amount of millin! stones found durin! this period' there is considera$l more evidence of ha$itation. The Ancestral Chumash used the millin! stones to !rind hard seeds of !rasses and sa!e "hich "as a ma,or part of the diet. The also ate shellfish' huntin! and fishin! seem to $e unimportant durin! this time period. 6+003+000 )09 This time period seems to have $een ver hard for the Ancestral Chumash since there are fe" sites (no"n to come from this period. This chan!e is thou!ht to have come from climate chan!e that made the landscape dr er and "armer "hich had the effect of decreasin! the population. +00033200 )09 This is a si!nificant time period $ecause it seems to $e attri$uted to the modern Chumash. The population increased and there "as a si!nificant chan!e to the tools that "ere used the food that "as eaten and huntin! of el(' deer and sea animals is part of the Chumash life. The tools that "ere invented "ere stone mortar and pestles for !rindin! up acorns "hich $ecame an important food source' and the atlatl'made up of a lon! spear li(e pro,ectile and a stic( "ith a notch that the spear fit into that made the spear thro"3a$le "ith !reat force' this aloud lar!e !ame to $e hunted' this huntin! instrument is the precursor to $o". 32003800 )09 This period is characteri;ed $ fishin! and sea3mammal huntin! $ein! a lar!e part of the culture. Ne" inventions such as shell hoo(s and harpoons "ere made to !o "ith this ne" life st le. Also around 2000 )0 the Chumash "ere ma(in! the first canoes "hich "ere

called Tomols. The Tomol not onl helped "ith fishin! $ut aloud travel to other villa!es much <uic(er. The population increased durin! this time and permanent coastal settlements "ere constructed. At the same time that life "ould seem to $e !oin! !reat there "as also a drou!ht from 1100 to =00 )0 "hich led to increased "arfare. 1+>2 A2. is the first documented interaction "ith the Chumash $ the &panish'the captain of the ship died and "as $uried on an island $ut his ,ournal "as ta(en $ac( home. The captains ,ournal contained names and population counts for villa!es. ?hen &pain found out a$out California the claimed it theirs $ut did not return until 1=66 A2. :n 1=66 &panish missionaries and soldiers arrived in &anta )ar$ara' California and $uilt missions $ enslavin! the Chumash and ta(in! their land. The Chumash have al"a s $een hunter3!atherers' rel in! on the natural a$undance of the California coast' eatin! ever thin! from plants and seeds to clams and "hale that "ould "ash up onto shore. Thou!h the "a that Chumash !ained there food and supported their people did not chan!e from huntin!3!atherin! their social s stem did. &ocial ran(in! developed around 1200 to 1300 A2. and "as pro$a$l due to multiple thin!s such as population !ro"th' less food suppl and increased tradin!. At or a little $efore this time the Chumash started to produce a form of currenc "hich "as made from shell. These shells can $e found as far as Nevada and the four corners re!ion of the south"est. ) e/aminin! $urial5s "e find that the political s stem "as or!ani;ed at the villa!e level so each villa!e had their o"n chief. A fe" villa!es "ere found "ith t"o chiefs' these are thou!ht to $e political centers. The chiefs dut is thou!ht to have $een to solve ar!uments or prevent "ar $et"een villa!es and to see that ever one "as fed@ "hen the first e/plorers found the Chumash the estimated the population at around t"ent thousand. The villa!es seemed to have had a standard ma(e up9 The contained houses set in ro"s "ith a path"a do"n the center' a s"eathouse "hich "as used for health' cleanliness and purification' a pla !round and a ceremonial dance !round. Aames "ere ver important and could include multiple villa!es' dances "ere also an important part of the culture and "ere used for fun $ut also in important reli!ious ceremon . The Chumash $elieved in animals and their a$ilit to affect a part of the Chumash life. 1ach animal had their o"n dance and the dancer "ould paint there $od or "ear a costume made up of the animals s(ull or hide to loo( li(e the animal. )esides the s"eathouses and dances that "ere used in part for ceremonial/ reli!ious purposes the Chumash did have a specific mem$er for performin! reli!ious acts called the shaman. The shaman is $elieved to $e the one "ho made cave paintin!s to as( spirits for help. The shaman5s "ere also the doctors of the time and $elieved sic(ness "as an ailment of the spirit so the used son! and pra ers as "ell as plant medicine. Archaeolo!ist are still "or(in! hard and findin! ne" thin!s a$out the Chumash. :n 2011 an archaeolo!ist theori;ed after she found a special shell that had more than the normal one hole in

it that it had $een a practice one for children to learn ho" to drill $eads and shell. And ,ust in 7arch of 2013 "hile di!!in! a ne" se"er line construction "or(ers uncovered a $urial !round.

References
)oo(9 Aam$le' B nn. The Chumash ?orld at 1uropean Contact. )er(le /Bos An!eles/ Bondon9Cniversit of California 0ress 2008 ?e$sites9 D http9//archaeolo! .a$out.com/od/dathrou!hdeterms/<t/dais Ecave.htmF D http9//""".s$nature.or!/F Dhttp9//""".ncdc.noaa.!ov/paleo/ctl/10(.htmlF