CHUMASH WOODEN ARTIFACTS

WOODEN BOWLS


TO MAKE A BOWL THEY FIRST BURNED THE BLACK OAK BURL AND THEN SCRAPED IT WITH STONE IMPLEMENTS.THEY REPEATEDLY BURNED THE CAVITY WITH LIVE COALS AND SCRAPED AND CHISELED IT AGAIN. THIS PROCESS WAS SIMILAR TO HOW THEY MADE A DUGOUT CANOE. THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOWL WAS SMOOTHED BY RUBBING WITH SANDSTONE, AS JOHN HUDSON NOTED. THE MIWOK USED A CHISEL AND POINTED TOOL, BOTH MADE FROM DEER ANTLERS.

NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIAN INDIANS CREATED SIMPLE RECTANGULAR WOODEN PLATTERS FOR SERVING DEER MEAT; THEY HAD WOODEN FINGER BOWLS FOR WASHING AFTER A MEAL OF MEAT. THEY ALSO MADE BIGGER TROUGHS FOR COOKING QUANTITIES OF FOOD WITH HOT STONES. SOMETIMES BUCKEYE TREES WERE BURNED TO HOLLOW OUT A SECTION FOR BOWLS. THEY MADE MANY LADLES FROM JUNIPER TREES AND BLUE OAK. THE CHUMASH ATE ISLAY KERNELS THAT WERE POUNDED IN A DEEP STONE OLLA USING A STONE BOWL AND A WOODEN MORTAR. THE MEAL WAS PRESSED ON A LADLE AND SERVED LIKE THAT. THE CHUMASH WERE THE MASTER CRAFTSMEN OF WOODEN BOWLS.

THEY EVEN USED BURLS FROM THE BAY LAUREL TREE FOR BOWLS. THEY USED GREEN WOOD AND WORKED IT IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIGGING IT. ROOTS, BURLS, AND ELBOWS OF SYCAMORE TREES WERE ALSO USED. THEY PROBABLY USED A FLINT ADZE TO CHOP THE TREE PIECE FOR BOWLS AS WELL AS FOR CANOES. THEY ALSO USED SCRAPERS OF ABALONE SHELL AND CHERT, DRILLS OF CHERT, KNIVES CHISELS, ANDS HAMMERSTONES, AND SANDSTONE ABRAIDERS, AS WELL AS VERY TINY STONE FLAKE TOOLS SHARPENED BY PRESSURE FLAKING. THESE TOOLS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN PREHISTORIC SITES. ALONG SANTA BARBARA.

THERE ARE FAINT BRUSH LIKE MARKS ON A WOODEN VESSEL IN THE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM SUGGESTED TO HUDSON THAT SHARKSKIN WAS USED TO POLISH THE BOWL. DRIED SHARKSKIN WAS USED IN CHUMASH BOAT BUILDING. THEIR LAST STEP IN POLISHING A BOWL WAS WITH A SCOURING RUSH, CANUTILLO, OR HORSETAIL. TO STAIN THE BOWL THEY MIXES SQUIRREL OIL AND RED OCHRE. THEY COULD ALSO PUT SHELL INLAY ON THE ON THE RIMS.

THE CHUMASH WERE EXPERTS AT MAKING SHELL BEADS WHICH WERE PLACED ON THESE BOWLS OR WORN AS NECKLACES. THE SHELL WAS FIRST BROKEN WITH A STONE BY DIRECT OR INDIRECT PERCUSSION. THEN AN ANVIL OF STONE WAS CHIPPED ROUGHLY TO THE ROUND SHAPE OF THE BEAD. THE CENTER HOLE WAS DRILLED HALF WAY FROM BOTH SIDES WITH A SHARP FLINT SPLINTER LASHED TO AN ARROW -LIKE REED, SOME AS LONG AS TWO FEET. SOME BITS WERE MADE OF SWORDFISH BONES SHARPENED ON A ROCK WERE FOR DRILLING. THE FLINT TOOL WAS SPUN BETWEEN THE PALMS OF THE HANDS MOVED DOWN THE DRILL SHAFT. IT COULD BE COMPLETED EITHER WITH THE FLINT OR A SEA LION WHISKER. THE BEADS WERE LINED UP ON A ROPE OF JUNCUS SMOOTHED BY ROLLING ON A BROAD GRINDSTONE AND WERE EQUALLY SMOOTHED.

WOODEN BOWLS HELD EVERY TYPE OF FOOD FROM CHIA SEEDS, PINOLE, TO ACORNS

PAUL CAMPBELL