The most notable information on Mu is in a series of five books written by Col. James Churchward, a man who dedicated 50 years of his life to researching this lost continent. I would encourage you to read "The Lost Continent of Mu", "The Children of Mu", and "The Sacred Symbols of Mu" for a journey into another realm of understanding. These books were first printed in the early 1930's, but they have been in constant re-print since that time and should be easily found. An announcement has just been made by the publishing house who handles Col. Churchward's works that still another manuscript has just been discovered. That is to be released this summer (summer of 1996).

Very briefly, Mu lay in the Pacific Ocean with the equator being the approximate center line of the continent. The people of Mu were like the right brain of the world at that time. When Mu became so overpopulated that there was concern about the land being able to properly support the needs of the people, explorers were sent out to discover new and suitable lands. These explorers were known as "Mayas". One group landed in what is now central Mexico; another group landed in what is now central California. And so we come to the Chumash.

The Chumash were first discovered in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo while attempting to navigate the coastal waters of California. The Natives were very warm and friendly, and guided Cabrillo's ships through the treacherous waters of the Channel Islands to safety on California's shores. The explorers were fed and housed during their stay, and many items were traded with the Natives. There would be no other contact with white men for 166 years.

According to white historians, the name Chumash is thought to come from the word "Michumash", which was the Native name for Santa Cruz Island, and which means "place of the islanders". J.W. Powell first used this term in naming these coastal Natives in 1891, and the name has lingered on. Chumash elders will tell you that their name means "Sea Shell People".

The Chumash land covered some 7,000 square miles stretching from southern Monterey County on the north, Malibu Canyon in Los Angeles County on the south, and east to the Carrizo Plain of Kern County in the Bakersfield area. Santa Barbara was the central point in their lands; Mt. Pinos was their sacred shrine and the center of their universe. They were considered the elite, the intelligensia of the coastal Natives, and were the most densely populated. They were people of high integrity and profound spiritual powers.

When asked of their origins, the Chumash point to the west, over the Pacific Ocean, as being the home of the "First People". They honor a place to the west they call the "Land of the Dead" where their Great Spirit lives in a crystal cave on the bottom of the sea. When the First People left the earth, they went to live in the heavens where they continue to guide the lives of the Chumash today.

They had gifted astronomers who charted the heavens. The Chumash had their own solar and star charts, and astrologers to interpret those charts in guiding the everyday lives of the people. Absolutely nothing was done, and no decision was made, without first consulting the charts as they believed that the world was, and is, in a constant state of change.

The Chumash were divided into two groups, the coastal people and the inlanders, and there were eight different language dialects spoken. The people were grouped into villages, as opposed to tribes, and it was not uncommon to find 1,000 inhabitants in a single coastal village. The villages of the inland people were smaller, but all followed the same social and political structure.

Each village had a chief, a medicine person and a shaman/astrologer priest. Men and women served equally in these positions. Each chief was charged with being the moral authority for the village, and was responsible for caring for the poor, for planning the elaborate ceremonies, and for outlining battle strategy when it was necessary. Wars were waged over territory, over theft, and over those found to be practitioners of black magic which was greatly feared by the Chumash.

The men wore no clothing in warm weather, but wore cloaks and capes of hide, fur and feathers when the weather cooled. They did wear belts around their waist made of woven grasses or hide, from which they hung the working tools of their craft. They wore their hair long, and caught at the back of the neck pony-tail fashion. They did not braid their hair.

The women wore only a skirt which resembled a double apron in warm weather, adding the same garments as the men when the weather cooled. They wore their hair long and loose, but with bangs across the forehead which they accomplished by burning the hair short rather than cutting. Both men and women wore body paint which reflected their social position in the village, and which also gave them protection from sunburn and insects. Both men and women wore carved and decorated bone, wood and shell ornaments in their ears and noses.

The Chumash lived in a tiered society which ranged from the poor and the laborers, through the craft guilds which created every item used by the people from spears to their art, to the chiefs and finally the medicine people and shaman/astrologer priests.

Their dwellings were large, dome-shaped houses made of willow with whale bone reinforcements, and tule mat roofs. The interiors were partitioned into rooms for privacy by hanging reed mats from the ceiling, and 40 to 50 people lived in a single house. They used beds made of platforms built above the ground with feathers rolled in fur for pillows, and feathers encased in matting for mattresses. Hides and fur were their blankets. Personal belongings were stored under the platforms. The physical make-up of these houses is very reminiscent of the longhouses of the Northeastern nations.

The Chumash were one of the few Native nations to bury their dead in a prone position underground. A single grave could be used for more than one body over the years, and the bodies were separated by layers of whale bone.

Every object the Chumash created had a double purpose; a practical, utilitarian use, and the spiritual expression of their personal power and magic. They were famous for their finely woven baskets which they made water proof by coating the inside with asphaltum; a substance made from tar found in pits in the area, and pine pitch. These baskets were made into plates, storage baskets and jugs, and even water bottles and jars. The Chumash were accomplished carvers, and fashioned carved wooden utensils, bowls, pots and all imaginable articles from the many types of wood on their land. They made animal carvings from bone and soapstone, and their shell beads were a sign of wealth.

The Chumash were primarily hunters and fishermen. They were the only nation on this continent to use plank canoes to travel the waters between the coast and the Channel Islands. The plank canoes were waterproofed by the use of asphaltum, and were made in a variety of sizes. Where the Chumash learned to build such crafts is only one of the many unanswered mysteries surrounding these people. Some say they learned from their First People. Others say that the ancient Chinese discovered the Chumash centuries before the white man, and that they taught the Natives how to build this craft. Archeologists have discovered a large stone "doughnut" in a Chumash dig, which was the exact type used by the ancient Chinese for anchors. We will go into more mysteries of the Chumash later.

The inland Chumash served as trade brokers between their people and the Natives of other areas. Fish and the treasures of the sea; the magnificent shells and shell beadwork; the basketry; the carved wood items; the furs and hides, and the art of their people were in great demand. Native traders came from all over the western region, and from as far east as the Colorado River, to barter for Chumash works which were considered great prizes. An annual Hutash Festival was held each Fall following the harvest. This was the last opportunity for trade before the winter snows closed the mountain passes, and it was a great gathering and celebration.

The Hutash Festival was the Chumash Pow Wow, and lasted for 5 or 6 days. All the shaman/astrologer priests gathered in closed ceremony to realign the cosmos and the world for the coming year. The business of the nation was conducted among great feasting, celebration, and trade.

The dancers' regalia, their music and musical instruments, and their footwork and body motions are unique. As one tribal member recently told me, the Chumash have been able to hold onto their ancient dress and music because they "were not touched by Buffalo Bill". Think about that for a moment.

The ceremonial clothing of the women consists of hide dresses, both one and two piece, hung and decorated with all manner of shells and shell beads. The men wear knee-length skirts made of milkweed woven with the down of bird feathers trimmed at the bottom with flicker feathers. Some wear feather capes, and feather skirts as well. The faces and bodies are painted, usually with black to honor the Land of the Dead, white to honor the heavens, and red for life force. The men's headdresses consist of a doughnut shaped crown piece of fur with arrangements of feathers standing straight up in the hole of the doughnut. Their headbands are made from the feathers of the red shafted flicker bird.

The most honored bird for the Chumash is the California Condor, and in ancient times condor, eagle, owl and magpie were the feathers of choice for head gear and clothing. In these days of Federal regulations, such feathers are hard to come by and those that are seen have been handed down through the generations. They are only shown for special ceremonies, most of which are closed to outsiders.

The Chumash musical instruments are flutes, whistles, rattles, tap sticks, pan pipes and bull roarers. Read that again, and notice the difference here and in the instruments of the majority of Native Nations. Their dance steps are highly unusual: they step in a one-one-one-one rhythm with very quick footwork as if stepping on hot coals. The body motions are fluid, undulating and serpentine in a sensual movement very much like the sea creatures they honor.

There is still a Hutash Festival held each fall in the Santa Inez Mountains above Santa Barbara, and this gathering is open to the public. If you can, make it a point to go but be aware that, of all the Native peoples, the Chumash are the most protective of their ways and their spiritual beliefs, and will not allow photos at any time. They keep primarily to themselves, especially the elders and the tribal leaders. A few dancers are venturing into inter-tribal Pow Wows hosted by other tribes and are becoming more social. However, the traditional Chumash is still very guarded and wary of outsiders.

From a thriving, happy and peaceful people of some 20,000 in the mid-1700's the Chumash were nearly extinct by 1900. The last full-blood died in the 1940's, and there are only 8 or 9 traditional families practicing the old ways still living on the Santa Inez reservation. The fate of the Chumash people is one of the most tragic in our history, and there is a wealth of printed materials available in libraries on their story. I would encourage you to read more about the mysterious Chumash.

Are they among the children of Mu? I will leave you with some of the unanswered questions about the Chumash ways: Where did they learn about astronomy and astrology? Where did they learn to waterproof? Who taught them to make plank boats (the only ones ever seen on this continent)? They used a double bladed paddle for their boats and a distinctive style of harpoon, both of which are only found with the Eskimo people. They used spear throwers - a highly unusual weapon not commonly seen on this continent. They used fish hooks carved of bone and stone in a design only found in the Polynesian Islands and Japan. Their tap sticks are used in the islands of the South Pacific, Africa, Mexico, and other locations in Pacific Rim countries. Bull roarers are musical instruments of Australia, the South American tribes - and where else? Pan pipes are instruments of the South American tribes - and where else?

Do I have your interest? Have I aroused your curiosity? GOOD! Do you believe that the Chumash could be among the Children of Mu?
 

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