Chumash Indian Museum

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Chumash Indian Museum
Chumash indian museum thousand oaks landmark plaque.jpg
Plaque by entrance.
Chumash Indian Museum
Established1994
Location3290 Lang Ranch Pkwy, Thousand Oaks, CA
Coordinates 34°12′44″N118°48′55″W / 34.212307°N 118.815211°W / 34.212307; -118.815211
TypeChumash Interpretive Center
Public transit access Thousand Oaks Transit (TOT)
Website www.chumashmuseum.org

Chumash Indian Museum is a Native American Interpretive Center in northeast Thousand Oaks, California. It is the site of a former Chumash village, known as Sap'wi (meaning "House of the Deer"). [1] It is located in Oakbrook Regional Park, a 432-acre park which is home to a replica of a Chumash village and thousand year-old Chumash pictographs. The pictographs by nearby Birthing Cave are not open to the public, but can be observed on docent-led tours. [2] [3] Chumash people inhabited the village 10,000 years ago. [4]

Contents

It became a designated archaeological zone in 1971 after the discovery of nearly twenty caves at the property. It was designated Ventura County Historical Landmark #90 in 1983. [5] [6] It is designated Thousand Oaks City Landmark No. 5. [7] The museum is home to exhibits of various Chumash artifacts, paintings and historical items. [8] [9]

Dedicated to preserving the cultural and historical legacy of the Chumash people, the museum was established in 1994 and is operated by the nonprofit Oakbrook Park Chumash Indian Corp. [10] It is owned by Conejo Recreation and Park District. [11]

The museum grounds were severely damaged by the 2018 Woolsey Fire. [12] [13]

Pictographs

12-inch long swordfish pictograph in Oakbrook Regional Park. Oakbrook regional park chumash indian museum thousand oaks cave paintings pictographs.jpg
12-inch long swordfish pictograph in Oakbrook Regional Park.

The cave paintings are found in two nearby rock shelters. The two shelters comprise a few panels, each of which contains one or more red motifs. Notable paintings include that of a broadbill swordfish, which until recently, was a common species in local waters. The swordfish was one of the few fish species associated with the shaman. The pictographs most likely represent a Swordfish Shaman's spirit helper. Swordfish shamanism was truly practiced at the cave for thousands of years. [14] The pictographs are between 4000 and 6000 years old, and can be viewed on docent-led tours. [7]

Exhibits

Indoor

Artifacts such as mortars and pestles can be seen in the interior exhibit. Chumash indian museum mortars pestles.jpg
Artifacts such as mortars and pestles can be seen in the interior exhibit.

Interior parts of the 5,400 sq. ft. museum contains locally retrieved artifacts such as tools used for grinding acorns, murals, instruments, and games. It also features a reconstructed tomol (Chumash canoe), mockups of cougars and other wildlife, as well as a diorama depicting life before the Spanish arrived. Items are routinely on loan from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, including woven bowls, grinding tools, and other artifacts. [15] [16]

Outdoor

Replica of a Chumash 'ap (house) in the reconstructed Chumash village. Chumash indian museum thousand oaks.jpg
Replica of a Chumash 'ap (house) in the reconstructed Chumash village.

Outdoor exhibits include several gardens, a reconstructed Chumash village, and a traditional Chumash playing field, known as a malamtepupi. Furthermore, it contains miles of hiking trails, as well as a massive oak tree rumored to be the oldest and possibly largest in the city of Thousand Oaks. It has a 12-foot trunk diameter, a height of 30 feet, and a canopy spread of 60 feet. It is home to 11 archeological sites clustered along the stream-bed, including ancient pictographs and bedrock mortars utilized for grinding acorns and other foods. [17] [18] [19]

Behind the museum is a 25-acre nature preserve in a canyon following the Conejo Creek. The shaded trail follows groves of old oak trees dating back 200–300 years, as well as mortar holes, the reconstructed Chumash village, and dramatic rock formations. The trail also goes by the remains of a former house with a brick oven. This was the site where Lang Ranch’ caretaker lived, dating back to the early 1900s. Weather-carved sandstone formations can be found after passing Bear Flats Oak Grove and crossing over Crystal Spring. Prominent formations include Elephant Rock, a finely etched rock with a trunk; and Calm Rock, shaped in the form of a partly opened clam. [20]

Ethnobotany Gardens

Four gardens featuring native flora with interpretive signs can be found near the museum. Funding for the gardens was provided by Edison International, Eagle Scouts of Troop 787, and museum volunteers. [21]

See also

References

  1. LOCEY, BILL (May 3, 2001). "Path to the Past" via LA Times.
  2. Philipp, Cathy (1997). On the Trail - Malibu to Santa Barbara. Cathy Philip Pub. Page 110. ISBN   9780965584807.
  3. Bidwell, Carol A. (1989). The Conejo Valley: Old and New Frontiers. Windsor Publications. Pages 15-16. ISBN   9780897812993.
  4. "Summer is museum time in Ventura County".
  5. "5 Great Places to Explore Native California". September 2, 2016.
  6. "Obscura Society LA: Hike to the Chumash Indian Birthing Cave". Atlas Obscura.
  7. 1 2 Sprankling, Miriam and Ruthanne Begun (2006). Historical Tour of the Conejo Valley. Newbury Park, CA: Conejo Valley Historical Society. Page 14. ISBN   0-9725233-4-0.
  8. Sonneborn, Liz (2006). The Chumash. Lerner Publications. Page 52. ISBN   9780822559122.
  9. "Chumash Indian Museum / Oakbrook Regional Park".
  10. "Chumash Indian Museum to re-open on Saturdays".
  11. Harris, Mike. "Chumash Indian Museum to re-open on Saturdays". Ventura County Star.
  12. "Fire was part of life for valley's original inhabitants | Simi Valley Acorn". www.simivalleyacorn.com.
  13. "Chumash Indian Museum / Oakbrook Regional Park". Conejo Valley Guide | Conejo Valley Events.
  14. Whitley, David S. (1996). A Guide to Rock Art Sites: Southern California and Southern Nevada. Mountain Press Publishing. Pages 175-178. ISBN   9780878423323.
  15. Harris, Mike. "Summer is museum time in Ventura County". Ventura County Star.
  16. Philipp, Cathy (1997). On the Trail - Malibu to Santa Barbara. Cathy Philip Pub. Page 109. ISBN   9780965584807.
  17. Smith-Llera, Danielle (2017). The Chumash: The Past and Present of California’s Seashell People. Capstone. Pages 21-22. ISBN   9781543538373.
  18. "Trail features giant oaks, Chumash village". Thousand Oaks Acorn. April 26, 2018.
  19. Danilov, Victor J. (2002). Museums and Historic Sites of the American West. Greenwood Press. Page 189. ISBN   9780313309083.
  20. Stone, Robert (2011). Day Hikes Around Ventura County. Day Hike Books. Pages 230-232. ISBN   9781573420624.
  21. The source used is the booklet Guide to the Ethnobotany Garden, which is published and distributed by Chumash Indian Museum. The booklet lists its sources on page 1 as: http://calscape.org/ and the book Chumash Ethnobotany: Plant Knowledge Among the Chumash People of Southern California (2007) by author Jan Timbrook, ISBN   978-1597140485.