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Significance of the Sky in Chumash Native American Religion and Culture

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Significance of the Sky in Chumash Native American Religion and Culture
The Chumash people are a group of Native Americans, originally inhabiting southern and central California coastal regions, as well as several islands off the coast. The ancient Chumash built plank boats, weaved intricate baskets, and painted elaborate cave and rock artwork. They were also known for their knowledge of astronomy and their cosmology. Celestial objects greatly influenced the culture and religion of the Chumash people. As in many early civilizations, the sky was a thing of wonder and awe. The early Chumash looked to the heavens for answers, thus basing a religion off the celestial bodies. These people practiced rituals and prayed to these objects, hoping for good health, bountiful harvest, and continued balance in their world. Many experts consider the Chumash to be a shamanistic people. The Chumash believed in a spiritual world, outside of the natural world. These ancient peoples were dedicated to communicating with the “other side”. The Chumash felt that by entering the spirit world, they could find answers, such as cures to diseases, and even see the future (Wikipedia, Shamanism). Similarly, the Chumash, like many Native American cultures, believed in animism. Animism is a spiritual idea that humans, animals, and all things associated with the natural world have souls. This idea pertains to natural phenomena, such as thunder, as well as geographical features, including mountains, islands, and forests (Wikipedia, Animism). The Chumash had many deities, embodied as celestial objects, and they believed these gods kept order and balance in the natural world. During the night, a gambling game between two forces decided the fate of the world. The pole star, Polaris, known to the Chumash people as Sky Coyote, was in charge of one team; the Sun God led the other team (E.C. Krupp 1983, p. 71). While many of the planets were important to the Chumash people, Venus was of great significance. Depending on when it rose, Venus could have a positive or negative


Cited: Anderson, J. 2001. Chumash Autumn Equinox. (Self-published) Indian Legend (indianlegend.com), Chumash Indians Creation Myth, Access Date: 07 Dec 2009 (http://www.indianlegend.com/chumash/chumash_001.htm) Krupp, E.C. 1983. Echoes of the Ancient Skies. (New York: Dover Publications Inc.) Penn State Personal Web Server (personal.psu.edu), The Chumash: A California Case Study, Access Date: 08 Dec 2009 (http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/e/t/etr109/chumash1.htm) Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (sbnature.org), Chumash Life, Access Date: 07 Dec 2009 (http://www.sbnature.org/research/anthro/chumash/custm.htm) Wikipedia (Wikipedia.org), Animism, Access Date: 04 Dec 2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism) Wikipedia (Wikipedia.org), Rock Art of the Chumash People, Access Date: 04 Dec 2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_art_of_the_Chumash_people) Wikipedia (Wikipedia.org), Shamanism, Access Date: 04 Dec 2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism#Soul_and_spirit_concepts) Windows to the Universe (windows.ucar.edu), The Chumash Tribe, Access Date: 05 Dec 2009 (http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/chumash.html)
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