Chumash People

Culture area: California          Linguistic Family :  Hokan

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 servitue to Spain

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

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.

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.

Tribal Headquarters
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 517 Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Physical Address: 100 Via Juana Lane Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Phone: 805.688.7997 Fax: 805.686.9578

Website: www.santaynezchumash.org

Email: info@santaynezchumash.org

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

Important Web Sites

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