Friends of El Moro Elfin Forest

Chumash Heritage

This review of the history of the Chumash was prepared by Ron Rasmussen in 2018.    

Where did they come from? Though Chumash tradition says that they have always been here, archaeological and genetic evidence support the proposal that humans from Eastern Asia reached the new world during the early part of the last ice age (15,000 to 30,000 years ago) [11].  With sea levels much lower than today, the whole of the Bering Strait was exposed creating vast tundra. Travel by sea southward along the coast would have been possible as the warm Pacific Current ensured that most of the coast had a mild climate free of ice. There may also have been inland openings in the ice sheets allowing some of the newcomers’ access to the interior of North America.  Because they were a hunter-gatherer population they would go wherever resources were most easily obtained.  Artifacts from both coastal and inland sites have been dated to these early periods, suggesting that the ancestors of the Chumash may have moved southward via both inland and coastal routes.

Perhaps the earliest archaeological evidence for human habitation along the Central Coast is from Santa Rosa Island. Here, and on San Miguel Island and the nearby mainland, artifacts have been found that date to 11,000 to 13,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age [3].  At this early date the sea level was much lower than at present and has since risen significantly.  Thus, in the many years up until the present, any early settlements near the shore would now be flooded or eroded away and difficult to study or even to detect. 

As sea level was gradually rising at the end of the ice age, deep bays formed along the coastline. These bays were teeming with schooling fishes, a rich food source that attracted human occupation. As the pace of sea level rise slowed, the bays (Morro Bay included) began to silt in. 

Based on archaeological evidence, Chumash were in the Los Osos/Morro Bay area at least by about 10,000 years ago. More formal tribal structures came into being with the establishment of permanent villages.  For the Chumash southward from Morro Bay this occurred around 3,500-4,000 years ago. A study by Bertrando [1] provided evidence that around 3650 years ago there were established villages in some locations and that the food resources of the Morro Bay estuary watershed were being exploited.  In the Morro Bay estuary watershed, there are at least two sites that are considered to have been villages. One is near Sweet Springs Preserve in Los Osos and the site of Morro Shores Mobile Home Park.

Around the watershed there are several sites classified as secondary villages, temporary campsites, or lithic (stone artifact) sites [1]. Secondary villages have been found a few miles inland.  Temporary campsites have been identified around the bay including the Elfin Forest.  Shell deposits (middens), together with associated artifacts left by the Chumash at these locations, suggest that they were temporary rather than permanent settlements [9].

A photo of many broken shell pieces lying on sand, with two mostly whole oyster shells.

When sea level stabilized about 5,500 years ago, Morro Bay began silting in.  Late in that gradual process wind-blown sand moving inland from the sand spit came to rest in the shallow back bay marshes creating the dunes that make up today’s Elfin Forest. As soon as the dunes were stable the Chumash could use them as a base of operations for gathering back bay marsh resources.

The studies by Parker and others do not show evidence of use of the Elfin Forest site before about 700 years ago [9].  Carbon dating of shell fragments from the Elfin Forest site gave a period of 500 to 700 years ago. A fragment of obsidian was recovered from a depth of 80-90 cm near Siena’s View overlook (See Elfin Forest map). Since the source of this obsidian was over 200 miles north at Casa Diablo in the Sierra Nevada mountains, there must have been existing commerce among the Chumash and probably other tribal groups.

Though not as old as some of the Morro Bay sites located on solid ground, the 700 year old site in the Elfin Forest provides a pretty good indication of when the dunes were established.   Another correlation to the stabilization of the dunes is that the oldest oaks in the Elfin Forest are around 500-700 years old. This suggests that they sprouted around the time that the Chumash began using the Elfin Forest as a temporary campsite.  It is also significant that, at sampling sites in the Elfin Forest, no artifacts were found deeper than 90 cm.  These bits of information provide us with clues to the geologic history of the Elfin Forest in addition to the cultural history

The Elfin Forest shell deposits extend completely across the western end of the park, and continue into the residential area of Los Osos on the south for an undetermined distance [9].  The Elfin Forest site is thus part of a much larger area where shell fragments and other artifacts have been found.  The extensive harvesting of shellfish and other easily accessible sea creatures would place pressure on this resource.  The Chumash in the area would then have needed additional resources to support their growing population.

Taken together the data from the above studies indicate that frequent use of the Elfin Forest as a temporary campsite began many years after the region had been settled by the Chumash, and ended with the arrival of the Spanish.

It was at this point in time that the world of the Chumash, as well as that of all other indigenous peoples in the American continents, began to change forever. In the 15th century European explorers were getting underway on their voyages of discovery and exploitation. When Christopher Columbus, among others, demonstrated that there was more land across the western ocean the door was opened. The fact that there were actually people in those lands raised the question of how to deal with them.  The Vatican was consulted and in 1491 it promulgated the “Doctrine of Discovery” in which it was concluded that non-Christians in these new lands were not to be respected as normal persons.  It was therefore acceptable to exploit them and appropriate their property as “fair game”.

The “Missionization” period began in the late 18th century when the Chumash and other tribes were obliged to change their mode of living by deserting their traditional villages and moving to the missions.  Most of this relocation was probably voluntary, but some was coercive [12]. For a more complete review, the reader is directed to other sources.

The establishment of large cattle (and sheep and horses) herds by the Spanish and others contributed to the further decline of Chumash society [5].  The need of large grazing areas for the cattle competed directly with the hunter/gatherer habit of the Chumash. Some Chumash villages were abandoned due to this conflict. To survive, the Chumash were obliged to accept the lifestyle of the Spanish occupiers, and become farmers and herders.  Many Chumash were baptized and joined the Catholic Church, at least on paper.

The arrival of the Europeans offered new means of food production.  Instead of hunting, fishing, and harvesting of wild plants as their primary source for food, the Chumash turned to the European model of controlled agricultural methods.  As the new methods were accepted, the need for wild sources of food became of less concern.  The Elfin Forest site thus became less important as a seafood processing site and was no longer used as a primary food source.

The arrival of the Europeans also brought tragedy in the form of communicable diseases for which the Chumash had no immunological defenses.  Estimates of the total population at the time of European arrival range from 10,000 to over 20,000,.  The epidemic of common diseases, such as influenza and small pox, brought by the Europeans had by 1900 reduced the number of Chumash to only a few hundred.  Today, the number of people claiming Chumash heritage is estimated at 2,000-5,000 [8].

The policy based on the “Doctrine of Discovery” persisted for nearly 500 years.  It was re-affirmed by United States Supreme Court Justice John Marshall who, in 1823, ruled that the “Indians” were too war-like to be assimilated into society. In 1849 the then Governor of California actually offered a bounty of 25 cents for each “Indian” scalp [8].

This repressive policy was eventually reviewed by the United Nations. After 20 years of study the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) was passed in 2007. Four years later, in 2011, UNDRIP was supported by the U. S. Congress and also by the Board of Supervisors of San Luis Obispo County, California.

The Chumash Nation, which extends northward from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara in the south, along the coast to just north of Morro Bay, has accepted UNDRIP as a signal for action.  Rather than waiting for some outside agency to come to their aid they have decided to use their knowledge to become successful members of society.  In pursuit of this goal the Chumash have established tribal councils centered loosely on the locations of the missions that were established by the Spanish.

The Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC) was established in San Luis Obispo County in accordance with California Senate Bill 18 as a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization. The NCTC represents tribal groups in the farthest north of the Chumash Nation in an area that corresponds approximately to San Luis Obispo County. Many village sites have been identified in this area [8].

The goals of the NCTC do not include building another casino.  One way become more self-reliant is through commercial organic agriculture and using the funds to actually purchase land. This will secure a future for the Chumash people and their descendants. It will also help preserve the culture and save sacred sites that have been established over the thousands of years of their history. An Educational Program provides lectures and community events to acquaint the public with their heritage and the importance of their present work.

In addition to preservation of important cultural sites, the NCTC provides guidance in projects that may disrupt or destroy cultural resources.  In San Luis Obispo County any construction that might adversely impact archaeological sites or other cultural resources is reviewed by the NCTC and recommendations made to avoid damage. This means that any activities in the Elfin Forest (or any other location in San Luis Obispo County) that might involve disturbance of shell deposits or other sites where artifacts may be found must be reviewed by a qualified archaeologist before any action is allowed.  For example, when construction of the Elfin Forest Boardwalk was first proposed in 1999, a detailed survey of the site and route of the boardwalk was conducted. It was this survey that established the period of use and extent of shell and artifact deposits discussed above [7, 9].

The Elfin Forest is located on the shore of Morro Bay in the extreme northwest part of the Chumash Nation. Although the site was used for a relatively short period of time, it is recognized by the Chumash as part of their heritage and they strongly supported SWAP’s efforts to preserve the site. In 1991 a Chumash Elder, Pilulau, led a group of local residents and SWAP supporters in a Protection Ceremony in the Elfin Forest [6]. At this time SWAP and its volunteers were attempting to raise the funds to purchase the 38 acres of privately owned undeveloped land overlooking Morro Bay and to add it to the 42 acre California State Park parcel adjoining on the north side. The Ceremony asked that the land be blessed and preserved as a sacred part of the Chumash heritage.  Today the condition of the Elfin Forest is evidence that the Ceremony was successful. The funds for purchase were obtained and the 90 acre El Moro Elfin Forest Natural Area was established. Years of work by volunteers have removed nearly all non-native plants. The plants and animals are now probably much the same as in the time that the Chumash were here.  It is now the responsibility of current residents and visitors to preserve the Elfin Forest Natural Area because it is, in fact, our heritage as well as that of the Chumash who were the first residents.

References:

  1. Bertrando, Ethan (Local Chumash Historian). Hunter-Gatherers in the Morro Bay Watershed 3650 Year Ago: Settlement, Subsistence and Technology During and Archaeological Point in Time. Proc. Soc. CA. Archaeol. 19:211-219. 2006.
  2. Chumash People. Wikipedia, June 30, 2012.
  3. Erlandson, Jon M.  California’s Costal Prehistory. A Circum-Pacific Perspective. Proc. Soc. CA. Archaeol. 6:23-36, 1993.
  4. Erlandson, Jon M. et al., SCIENCE 331, 1181-1185, March 4, 2011.
  5. Erlandson, Jon M., and Deana Dartt. The Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Kashtayit (CA-SBA-1491): A late Period and Historic Chumash Village. Proc. Soc. CA. Archaeol. 15:24—34, 2002.
  6. Farrell, Jr., Neil. Elfin Forest Blooms During Earth Day Ritual. in SUN BULLETIN, Morro Bay, California, v. 20, no. 17. April 25, 1991.
  7. Gibson, Robert O.  (Chumash Historian) Archaeological Review for the Los Osos/Elfin Forest Community Access Project. Unpublished report. (Cited by John W. Parker, 2000)
  8. Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC). http://northernchumash.wordpress.com/
  9. Parker, John W.  (Archaeologist for Elfin Forest Boardwalk) Archaeological Mitigation Report for the Elfin Forest Board Walk Project Covering Prehistoric Site CA-SLO-1122/1395. Prepared for County of San Luis Obispo, Department of General Services, April 13, 2000.
  10. Parker, John W.  Archaeological Mitigation and Monitoring Report for 530 Mimosa Street, Morro Bay: Archaeological site CA-SLO-165. Unpublished report on file with the California Historical Resource Inventory System, U.C. Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County Archaeological Society. December 2004.
  11. Pringle, Heather. The First Americans. Scientific American 305 (5), November 2011, pp. 36-45.
  12. Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. . https://www.sbnature.org/collections-research/anthropology/chumash-life/timeline