Chumash People

Guide to Chumash People ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and other agency records.

Culture area:California Linguistic Family: Hokan

Tribal Headquarters

 * Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians 100 Via Juana Lane / P.O. Box 517 Santa Ynez, CA 93460 Phone: 805-688-7997 Website

History
The Chumas historically occupied three northern islands of the Santa Barbara, the coast of Malibu Canyon to Estero Bay, and continued inland.

The Chumash Indians are also known as the Santa Barbara Indians. Original homeland was in Santa Barbara, California area.

Only the Chumash living on the Santa Ynez Reservation are recognized by the federal government. Some regional councils are recognized by the California Native American Heritage Commission.

Brief Timeline
1772: Catholic priest built a mission in the Santa Barbara area

1834: Released from servitude to Spain

Additional References to the History of the Tribe and/or Bands
Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Chumash tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Reservations
The Santa Ynez Reservation is located in Santa Barbara County, California. The reservation was established on December 27, 1901 authorized by the act of January 12, 1891.

Bands of the Chumash Tribe and Their Reservations
Subdivisions: (Swanton)

Barbareno Chumas, Cyuama Chumash, Emigdiano Chumash, Obispeno Chumash, Purisimeno Chumas, Santa Ynez Chumash, and Ventureno

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Websites

 * Official Web Site of the Santa Ynez Chumash
 * Chumash Indians Wikipedia

For Further Reading

 * Kroeber, Alfred L. Handbook of the Indians of California. Washington D.C.:Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 78, 1925. Reprint. New York City: Dover Publications, [ca 2006] WorldCat 255854981 Available online.

For background information to help find American Indian ancestors see For Further Reading.