California's little-known ancient society (2024)

California's little-known ancient society (1)California's little-known ancient society (2)Alamy

Tracing their ancestral home to the picture-perfect Channel Islands, the Chumash likely descend from some of the Americas' earliest settlers.

When I was in elementary school, my class read a book called Island of the Blue Dolphins about a young Indigenous girl who was stranded on an island off the coast of California. The novel is based on the true story of the "Lone Woman of San Nicolas", who supposedly lived alone on San Nicolas Island for 18 years during the mid-19th Century, after the rest of her native American tribe was relocated to the mainland by missionaries.

My school was in the Santa Ynez Valley, located about 30 miles from where the "Lone Woman" (later baptised as "Juana María" at the Old Mission Santa Barbara) was brought ashore in 1853 and died just seven weeks later. From that Mission, you can gaze out at the eight-isle archipelago known as the Channel Islands – the furthest being San Nicolas, where Juana María lived. Decades later, that book has stayed with me, but as with many stories, I've come to realise that things are not always what they seem.

Many people are surprised to hear that there even is a cluster of islands off the coast of California. The most-visited island, Catalina, contains the historic port town of Avalon, which was a haven for movie stars in Hollywood's golden era. Another five islands make up the Channel Islands National Park, which was established in 1980 alongside the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary to protect the islands' environmental diversity and the surrounding ocean.

California's little-known ancient society (3)California's little-known ancient society (4)Alamy

Often called "the Galapagos Islands of North America", the Channel Islands contain 145 endemic plant and animal species that exist nowhere else, including a Torrey pine grove (one ofonly two on Earth), as well as island deer mice, spotted skunk, island scrub jays and the Channel Island dwarf fox. The islands are also a Unesco Biosphere Reserve since they represent "one of the last examples of natural Mediterranean ecosystems in North America" with characteristically wet, mild winters and dry, warm summer seasons.

Yet, environment and Hollywood history aside, perhaps the most fascinating aspect of these far-flung islands is their distant past. In 1959, archaeologist Phil Orr discovered human remains on Santa Rosa island in the national park. Nearly 40 years later, his successor Dr John R Johnson used radiocarbon dating to determine that these skeletal remains date back some 13,000 years, making them one of the oldest-known human remains found in North America.

Visiting the Channel Islands

Island Packers ferries offer a variety of trips from Ventura harbour to Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and San Miguel islands, and weekly trips from Oxnard harbour to Anacapa Island. In addition to accommodation on Catalina (the only island with hotel options), camping is also permitted year-round on all five islands in the park.

The discovery of this so-called "Arlington Man" begged many questions: who was this ancient person, how did he get onto the island and what happened to his descendants? The answer likely points back to the Chumash people, an Indigenous group whose territory once spanned some 7,000 square miles along the California coast and the northern Channel Islands. The radiocarbon dating of Arlington Man not only supported a theory that the Channel Islands were a stopping ground during the earliest migration from north-east Asia to the Americas, it also rekindled a poignant debate among the roughly 10,000 Chumash people living along the California coast today about reclaiming their history and honouring their heritage.

For years, Arlington Man's remains were held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH). But in April 2022, following a request by the Chumash under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which aims to return Native American items of cultural and historical importance to their descendants, his remains were repatriated to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.

California's little-known ancient society (5)California's little-known ancient society (6)Alamy

"Those are our first people. The first people came to the islands, then came to the mainland. That's where we came from. That begins the story of the Chumash people, for all of the tribes," says Nakia Zavalla, the cultural director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. "Unfortunately, when you talk about… the scientists' perspectives, it puts a timeline on it. But our stories are from time immemorial," she adds.

Zavalla believes that repatriating these ancient Indigenous remains is an important first step towards righting the wrongs of the past. "Today as a modern Chumash woman, let's talk about protection, responsibility, human rights and ethics. After colonisation and the fur trade, the history of the land has to speak to that disrespect and the atrocities… with the archaeology mindset, permission needs to be given. We need to follow better protocol on permission and respect."

Eleanor Fishburn is the chair of the Barbareno Band of Chumash Indians and a tribal member of the Ventureño Band of Mission Indians. Her ancestors lived on the Channel Islands and she can still view the islands from the window of her Ventura home. She says that first and foremost, it is important to clarify something about the Chumash people and the Channel Islands.

"The islanders were called Michumash people, the 'makers of the shell bead money'. So when the mission system came [in the late 1700s], the Indians were sent to the different missions, and that's how we ended up getting the [tribes of] Samala (Santa Ynez) and Canalino (Santa Barbara), Mitskanaka (Ventura) and yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini or ‘ytt’ (San Luis Obispo). Everybody wants to lump us all together, but we are not together. We are our own separate tribes," she explains.

California's little-known ancient society (7)California's little-known ancient society (8)Alamy

As a former staff member at the SBMNH who is currently studying anthropology and archaeology, Fishburn has a unique perspective on these issues.

How to learn more about Chumash culture

• Visit Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park near Santa Barbara, which preserves Chumash rock art from the 1600s.

• Attend the annualSanta Barbara Channel crossing from the mainland to Santa Cruz Island'sScorpion Beacheach September, which features replica canoes constructed and paddled by Chumash community members.

• Apply to be a part of theChannel Islands Naturalist Corp, a volunteer-run team of trained naturalists who educate the public about the islands' rich environmental diversity and cultural heritage.

• Visit the Chumash Indian Museum in Thousand Oaks and the soon-to-open Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center.

"In the early 1900s, there was a big rush for anthropologists to interview us California Indians who were left," she explains. "With that came a lot of urgency to put shovels in the ground and to excavate and find artefacts and culturally sensitive items that our ancestors were buried with. That was not done in a very ethical, sensitive, honorary way. All these collections that were put on the shelf of repositories were not actually studied. Did they know what they were digging for? What were their motives? They never studied it, they just kept digging and digging."

"Now with the new [NAGPRA] laws, things have changed. So, with everything being put back to the ground, we Indigenous folks who have been studying anthropology and our culture haven't had an opportunity to go through that paperwork, go through those collections and give it our perspective… I want to be able to look at those collections, see it through our eyes, look at those papers that they made money off of and share our voice."

More than 60 years after Island of the Blue Dolphins was published, a lot of lore surrounds the Lone Woman of San Nicolas. Some people believe that she actually didn't live alone on the island and only let herself be "rescued" after her son died. Fishburn doesn't buy that. "The story behind Island of the Blue Dolphins is something I believe docents put together. That's not all that happened to that lady out there. To me, that's fantasy," she says.

But despite objections to the islands' dramatised past, most Chumash people agree that the Channel Islands are a very special place worthy of protection for future generations.

California's little-known ancient society (9)California's little-known ancient society (10)Alamy

In 2023, the Northern Chumash Tribal Councilproposedexpanding the current marine sanctuary to create a larger conservation zone. The hope is to further protect the countless sacred Chumash sites, oceanic environment and wildlife migratory corridor, and to limit offshore oil drilling, which has long been a contentious issue along the Santa Barbara and Ventura coastline.

Shauna Fry, the outreach coordinator for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, has been integral in the islands' educational and conservation efforts. Back in 1996, Fry piloted a programme that is today called the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps (CINC), a volunteer-run team of trained naturalists who educate the public about the islands' rich environmental diversity and cultural heritage. The programme supports the mission of both the Channel Islands National Park system and CHNMS, as well as promoting citizen science efforts to support whale conservation.

"There are so many pieces to protect," Fry says. "The islands feel so far away but you're not that far from the mainland, and from one of the largest cities of Los Angeles. The people that work and support the islands all have that shared interest. It was also recently designated as a whale heritage site, which adds another layer of education and conservation for the islands."

She adds: "These are Chumash lands and it feels important that we educate the public about that. The Chumash live today, they are part of society and are still alive and well today. They are not the past, they are here now, a culture that's thriving, and they are sharing the cultural traditions with the younger generations."

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California's little-known ancient society (2024)

FAQs

Were Indians in California before Mexicans? ›

Prior to contact with Europeans, the California region contained the highest Native American population density north of what is now Mexico. Because of the temperate climate and easy access to food sources, approximately one-third of all Native Americans in the United States were living in the area of California.

How many Native Americans were killed in the California Gold Rush? ›

As for California's native people, one hundred and twenty thousand Native Americans died of disease, starvation and homicide during the gold rush.

How many Indians were killed in California? ›

Between 1846 and 1873, it is estimated that non-Natives killed between 9,492 and 16,094 California Natives. In addition, between several hundred and several thousand California Natives were starved or worked to death. Acts of enslavement, kidnapping, rape, child separation and forced displacement were widespread.

How much do Native Americans get paid a month? ›

What Is the Average Native American Salary by State
StateAnnual SalaryMonthly Pay
California$114,920$9,576
New Jersey$114,760$9,563
Pennsylvania$114,431$9,535
Nebraska$114,355$9,529
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Who did California originally belong to? ›

Coastal exploration by the Spanish began in the 16th century, with further European settlement along the coast and in the inland valleys following in the 18th century. California was part of New Spain until that kingdom dissolved in 1821, becoming part of Mexico until the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), when it was ...

What was the most feared Indian tribe in the West? ›

The Comanches, known as the "Lords of the Plains", were regarded as perhaps the most dangerous Indians Tribes in the frontier era. One of the most compelling stories of the Wild West is the abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker, Quanah's mother, who was kidnapped at age 9 by Comanches and assimilated into the tribe.

What is the richest tribe in California? ›

California's Richest Indians, the Chumash and Gabrielino, gives a broad overview of these very special California tribes.

Who lived in California first? ›

The earliest Californians were adventurous Asians who made their way across the Bering Straits to Alaska thousands of years ago when a warmer climate and a now-vanished land bridge made such travel easier. These men and women and their descendants settled North and South America, spreading out to…

Who got rich from the California gold rush? ›

The wealthiest man in California during the early years of the rush was Samuel Brannan, a tireless self-promoter, shopkeeper and newspaper publisher. Brannan opened the first supply stores in Sacramento, Coloma, and other spots in the goldfields.

What was the most lethal Indian tribe? ›

All Amerindian tribes were warlike. None were pacifist. Some were more violent than others, such as the Kiowa and Apache, but none were as powerfully violent as the Comanche. Those famous horse warriors terrorized the Great Plains down into Mexico for decades.

Who was the last Indian of his tribe in California? ›

Within days, Ishi was brought to the Museum's first location in San Francisco, near Golden Gate Park, where he lived for the last four and a half years of his life. Publicized as “the last wild Indian in California,” Ishi was employed at the museum to demonstrate Yahi culture.

What is the Pacheco Pass Native Massacre? ›

Well, urban legends of Pacheco Pass date back to the 1700s, when stories on the hauntings of a native massacre that happened at the hands of Spanish settlers first emerged. These tales were only strengthened in the 1800s when incidences of two men assaulting and robbing countless travelers on the highway occurred.

What percentage of Indian do you have to be to get a check? ›

Some tribes, like the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, specify no blood quantum but require individuals to trace genealogical descent from a direct ancestor included on the Dawes Roll codified in 1907. The federal government maintains a 1/4 blood requirement for most of its benefits.

Do Indians get a check every month? ›

Can I Get Money for Being Native American? No. The U.S. does not give out cash payments to indigenous people. Some tribal governments run casinos that pay shareholder dividends.

Do Native Americans get free college? ›

UC's Native American Opportunity Plan ensures that in-state systemwide Tuition and Student Services Fees are fully covered for California students who are also enrolled in federally recognized Native American, American Indian, and Alaska Native tribes.

Who lived in California before the Mexican American War? ›

The territory of Alta California was then home to 150,000 indigenous peoples and 14,000 inhabitants of European and Mexican descent.

When did Mexicans arrive in California? ›

Hispanic settlement of what is now California began in 1769 when the Presidio and Catholic mission of San Diego were established. By 1823, 20 more missions dotted the California coast from San Diego to Sonoma, along with several military presidios and civilian communities.

What Indian tribe are Mexicans from? ›

The most famous indigenous Mexican groups are the Mayan and Olmec groups. However, today there are over 60 Mexican Native American groups that exist and speak indigenous languages as opposed to English or Spanish. The Olmec civilization was the first major group to settle and grow in Mexico.

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