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Rocky Coast

Chumash – SLO

The Chumash are a Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south to Mt Pinos in the east. Their territory includes three of the Channel Islands: Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel; the smaller island of Anacapa was likely inhabited seasonally due to the lack of a consistent water source.[2][4

Total population

c. 600 - 1,400 (1769)

Regions with significant populations

US: CA (Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties)

Languages

Ohlone language (Awaswas), Spanish, English

Religion

Traditional religion, Animism, Kuksu, Christianity

Related ethnic groups

Mutsun, Ramaytush, Rumsen, Tamien, and other Ohlonean-speaking peoples

Modern place names with Chumash origins include Malibu, Nipomo, Lompoc, Ojai, Pismo Beach, Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, Piru, Lake Castaic, Saticoy, Simi Valley and Somis.

Source

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