An ingeniously constructed and swift-moving boat for fishing and journeys to the Channel Islands. Several families lived together in these houses which may have been as large as thirty feet or more in diameter. Music and games figured importantly in the lives of these artistic, sensitive Indians. The Chumash belonged to one language group, but spoke differing dialects in different districts. At the time of the founding of the Missions, possibly 10,000 or more Chumash lived in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Few descendants remain.
Scant records were kept and little contemporary information is available. Gaps in our knowledge of the Chumash are being filled by ongoing research in archaeology and anthropology. Most of the various kinds of artifacts used are on view in the Lompoc Museum. A stone bowl, a perfectly flaked arrowhead, the replica of a mysterious pictograph tell a story of the Chumash Indians of the past. The Clarence Ruth Gallery houses ethnographic and archaeological specimens from around the world.