Coastal Chumash: Stories of Contemporary Native Americans in California

At the turn of the twenty-first century preserving the diversity and elucidating current Chumash culture for future generations is important for several reasons. First, this Native American people have a proud and distinct heritage which deserves recognition. Second, the history of the United States and its native peoples is a complex one of reservations (1889) and termination (1954), neither of which greatly impacted the Chumash. Because of their intense assimilation into the Spanish culture, the Chumash experience articulated a distinct method of accommodation, and even, resistance. Third, this viable Chumash community living in California has struggled to balance issues of cultural assimilation with ideas of cultural integrity. This “balancing act” is one shared by a number of other representatives of underrepresented minorities. Finally, in a world where genocide is a recurring nightmare, this story of courage and cultural preservation is vital to safeguarding not only Chumash heritage, but the history of the United States today. In another decade many of those that remember the “old ways” will be gone, and there is an obligation to pass on this cultural paradigm for posterity. The Chumash’s is a story worth telling! Created by Dr. Michaela Reaves, Professor of History at California Lutheran University, made possible in part by a grant from The California Council for the Humanities, asp part of its statewide California Stories Initiative, Copyright 2005.