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The Chumash World at European Contact: Power, Trade, and Feasting Among Complex Hunter-Gatherers

Online ISBN:
9780520942684
Print ISBN:
9780520254411
Publisher:
University of California Press
Book

The Chumash World at European Contact: Power, Trade, and Feasting Among Complex Hunter-Gatherers

Published:
4 August 2008
Online ISBN:
9780520942684
Print ISBN:
9780520254411
Publisher:
University of California Press

Abstract

When Spanish explorers and missionaries came onto Southern California's shores in 1769, they encountered the large towns and villages of the Chumash, a people who at that time were among the most advanced hunter-gatherer societies in the world. The Spanish were entertained and fed at lavish feasts hosted by chiefs who ruled over the settlements and who participated in extensive social and economic networks. In this modern synthesis of data from the Chumash heartland, this book weaves together multiple sources of evidence to re-create the rich tapestry of Chumash society. Drawing from archaeology, historical documents, ethnography, and ecology, it describes daily life in the large mainland towns, focusing on Chumash culture, household organization, politics, economy, warfare, and more.

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