Long before Rhoda May and Frederick Rindge purchased Malibu Ranch from the original owners of the Spanish Land Grant in 1892, the Chumash people called Malibu home. Chumash artifacts have been found in the mountains above Malibu where “David Evans, The Edge,” drummer for U2, intends to build his cluster of mansions.
Chester King Locates Chumash Artifacts Above Malibu
Chester King of Anthropological Consultants located and recorded numerous Native Chumash artifacts in December of 2014 on a field visit to the proposed development site of five luxury homes in the mountains above Malibu, California. The land is owned by David Evans, U2 guitarist also known as “The Edge.”
King has specialized in the study of archaeology and history of Native Americans in Southern California for more than fifty years. During his career, he has recorded many archaeological sites throughout the Santa Monica Mountains.
These stone artifacts are altered rocks that indicate the presence of a prehistoric archaeological site. A fragment indicates that it was probably an “Early Period Site,” thus most artifacts are expected to be buried as a result of soil development.
The Chumash
The Chumash people, who once numbered in the tens of thousands, lived along the coast of California. Their territory encompassed more than 7,000 square miles, spanning from the beaches of Malibu to Paso Robles, and inland to the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley.
They called themselves “the first people,” and pointed to the Pacific Ocean as their first home. Many elders today say that Chumash means “bead maker” or “seashell people.”
The Chumash Indians were prosperous because they used resources from both the land and the sea. They lived in large, dome-shaped homes made from willow branches with roofs made from tulle mats reinforced with whalebone. Up to 50 people could live in one house.
Chumash Population Decimated
As with most Native American tribes, the Chumash history was passed down from generation to generation through stories and legends. Many of these stories were lost when the Chumash Indian population was all but decimated in the 1700s and 1800s by the Spanish mission system.
This brief piece from YouTube features beautiful Chumash music.
For detailed information, don’t miss this excellent “Overview of the History of American Indians in the Santa Monica Mountains,” available at Academia.edu.
Check out this Santa Ynez Chumash for more information on the history of the First People.
Visit Wishtoyo’s Chumash Discovery Village.
Racing Nellie Bly
Victorian Secrets From Footnotes In History
9 Responses
I have a stone I found when I was about 15 years old at Lake Cachuma and I was wondering if this may have been an artifact in fact it almost has to be, I have had this for over 42 years and just recently located in my storage shed.
I would love to send a picture of it so that you could tell me.
James, yes please send your photo. I hope you were able to attend the recent Chumash pow wow in Malibu. It was fantastic and well attended now that it has a high-profile location in the city center. What a find you have.
I’m Roger Llamas my telephone# is 7078872190. I’m having trouble receiving email now. In 1972 I discovered an enclosure above a 175′ dry falls above San Roque Rd. at maybe 1000′ elevation. I entered the uphill side, thru a crack at the base of a 10′ wide wereboulder & crawled into a chamber. It had a flat sandstone floor & ceiling with 2 upright pillars some 3.5′ tall holding up the ceiling. inside the 12′ diameter, chamber is a Chumash bowl some 3.5′ across & 2.5′ deep. It appeared to be in very good shape. When I stood up in the bowl, my head was just short of the very flat ceiling 5’11”. The uprights were fused to the floor & ceiling, a natural formation. When it rains enough the waterfalls faces Goleta. Has this place been documented
Hello Roger, this is such interesting information! I live in a Chumash area. I’ll try to check with the locals to see if they’re aware. We also have a small museum dedicated to them, I believe in Thousand Oaks. I remember some well documented Chumash research and journals. Let me try to relocate those for you. If I find anything, I’ll circle back. Can I connect you to an expert from the Chumash community if I find one?
Hi Roger, I’m circling back again. Just hoping you have been able to bring this to Chumash elders attention. They had a pow wow in Malibu recently. It was really well received. Your discovery sounds profoundly interesting. I will try to reach you. Thanks again.
Maybe the Chumash, who ARE STILL among us, should get their land back. Obviously the Europpeans had NO business taking it in the FIRST PLACE.
Yes, the Chumash held a pow wow in Malibu a few months ago. It was spectacular and well received. Their voices must be heard and culture cherished.
In 1979 I found an obsidian stone tool in my back yard in Ventura Calif. it’s has been identified as a hand axe although not in pristine shape. It was well used. I’ve kept it safe all these years but never really thought of it as “mine.” But I am very protective of it.
I really couldn’t get much interest in it from the Ventura museums. And if the Chumash people identified it as something from their culture and wanted it, I would consider it giving it to them. ??? I don’t know how it came to be in my back yard. Perhaps when the house was built and patio made it was dug up. And tossed aside. At age 29 I didn’t know anything about archeology.
Thanks so much for reaching out, Dawn. The Chumash lived in a vast area of Southern California, including Ventura. I’ve heard stories from people who grew up in Malibu who remember seeing Chumash artifacts when Paradise Cove was bulldozed to make room for mobile homes and mansions. You might try the Chumash museum in Thousand Oaks. If you want to post a photo, I’d love to see it! Thanks again for posting.