The Chumash Nation is a maritime culture. We have lived along the California coastline from Ragged Point to Malibu and out to the Channel Islands for over 15,000 years. The Chumash have lived and thrived in these lush lands and coastal ocean environments. Our ocean going vehicle is the “Tomol,” which means “canoe” in Chumash. The Chumash plank canoe is constructed with no nails, rivets, or ribs and it is sown together with a local plant called “Dog Bane.” This twine is made from the hand twisted fiber of the Dog Bane. You can see below the stitching on our latest Tomol Xax ‘Alolk’oy’ (Great Dolphin)
This month August 18th & 19th we are having our Chumash Nation Annual Tomol Village Hop in Morro Bay and Avila Beach. We are preparing for our crossing to the Island in September. (visit our web home page for more information www.northernchumash.org)
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northernchumash.org 