CHUMASH

any of several related Indian groups speaking a Hokan language and originally living in the California coastlands and adjacent inland areas from Malibu northward to Estero Bay. Chumash also occupied the three northern channel islands off Santa Barbara. The major Chumash groups were the Obispeo, Purismeo, Ynezeo, Barbareo, and Ventureo (named for the Franciscan missions San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, La Pursima Concepcin, Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, and San Buenaventura, respectively), the inland Emigdiano and Cuyama, and the islanders. The Chumash were among the first native Californians to be encountered by the Spanish-sponsored explorer Juan Rodrguez Cabrillo (1542-43). The bulk of the Chumash population was concentrated along the seashores and relied for food largely on fish, mollusks, and sea mammals and birds. Their houses were dome-shaped and large; normally each served several families and had several rooms. Villages formed the basis of Chumash political and social organization. The Chumash were skilled artisans. Using asphalt for caulking, they made wooden-plank canoes. They fashioned vessels of soapstone, made a variety of tools out of wood, whalebone, and other materials, and engaged in basketry. The Chumash were purveyors of clamshell-bead currency for southern California. Fewer than 100 Chumash descendants remained in the late 20th century. The language has been extinct since 1965.