Aerial view of a pod of gray whales swimming together in clear blue-green ocean water. — Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) Group, Aeria View: Baja California, Mexico. June 18, 2020. Photographer: slowmotiongli. iStock 1234549883

The World Before: Connected and Defined by Land, Culture, and Community

“Like veins in our bodies, our roads and routes keep us alive, we are connected to the land and by the land—and the roads between us keep us connected to each other” — Deana Dartt, Coastal Band, Chumash and Descendant of Soldiers/Settlers

Native people of the west coast of North America, like Indigenous peoples everywhere, thrived as complex, interrelated cultures with sophisticated ecological knowledge, extensive trade networks, and abundant terrestrial and marine resources. Those important connections informed every part of life prior to contact with outsiders. Deep relationships among people, the earth, and the sea defined, sustained, and supported creativity and beauty. Connectivity and interdependence can be seen in the stories Native people told and continue to tell, which define and explain their roles in the complex web of life. In contrast to a popular idea of “Natives at one with Nature,” the authentic interdependence practiced here on the coast hinged on sustained relationships informed by respect and reciprocity. Over thousands of years, those long-term connections allowed for the development of sophisticated knowledge, and those linkages are reflected in all aspects of material culture. In addition to a diversity of cultures, languages, and lifeways among the people sharing this abundant landscape were nonhuman populations. Those travelers included grizzly bears, pronghorn antelope, jaguars, gray whales, monarch butterflies, and thousands of additional species. This abundance, these connections, and the land itself defined the People.

Land

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Map of the west coast of North America showing the native languages spoken in coastal regions from Alaska to Baja California, with labeled language groups and geographic features. — Courtesy of the Autry Museum of the American West.

The Autry Museum of the American West acknowledges the complex diversity of the geographical area now known as California. This map is not meant to suggest legal boundaries, nor is it a comprehensive list of the tribal communities that have inhabited and cared for these lands since time immemorial. The language on this map reflects our growing understanding of Indigenous languages as we strive to be as inclusive as possible.

Culture

A traditional woven wooden cradleboard with a curved hood and a brown and white striped cloth wrapped around it, used for carrying infants. The design features straps and carved decorative patterns. — Tima Link (Chumash), Baby cradle, 2018, Wood, tule, dogbane, sedge, black-dyed juncus, cotton, bone, shell, glass beads, nylon

When you look closely, other practical day-to-day objects also show elaborate manufacture and sophistication. Consider what materials you might use to carry water, grind acorns, and cook if needed. A finished steatite cooking pot, or olla, would require a trade relationship with the Tongva of the southern Channel Islands, the tools and skill to form and hollow out a giant stone, knowledge of harvest places, and the skills to build a cradleboard to keep your baby contained while gathering. To learn more about revitalizing basket weaving, visit: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/tending-the-wild/clip/tima-link-on-revitalizing-native-basketry-traditions

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A loosely woven, brown string bag or net with an open mesh pattern, lying flat on a plain white background. — Net, Unknown Kiliwa Maker, 1932, Trinidad Valle, Baja California, knotted yucca fiber

Native peoples’ deep relationship with the sea is visible in these items. Fashioning a fishhook of abalone is an intense task without modern tools! Imagine breaking down a circular “blank” and working inward to create a sharp hook, an effective instrument for catching fish. Bone gorges, fishing lines of yucca, intricate nets, and gathering bags all exemplify a relationship that fed the people for millennia.

Community

An illustration of a person wearing a feathered skirt and headdress, kneeling on a circular platform, holding two decorated sticks, set against a blue background with white spots and brown, gray, and white borders. — Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva), *Creation Story*, 2022, digital image, courtesy of the artist

"In the beginning there was darkness and out of that formed the foundation of Tovaangar: the sky, the earth, the water, the sun and moon and many others. The world was filled with the Amupavitam, original beings, to each serve a need and to have a purpose to keep the balance in our world. Our people were gifted with Maxaax (generous governance) by our creator to keep our world in balance. They were also instructed of the ill effects of not following the path laid out by the Creator and how an unbalanced world would affect all life." - Cindi Alvitre (Tongva) and Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva)

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A woven basket with a beige and brown zigzag border and a central star or flower pattern in shades of brown and black on the interior, viewed from above against a plain background. — Basket, Carlotta Colosio (Comcaac), Desemboque, Sonora, Mexico, 1970, coiled natural and vegetable-dyed limber bush on a limber bush bundle foundation

Basket design elements, such as the ones in this Seri basket, can be seen along the coast into the Chumash and Ohlone areas. These important symbols were shared, taught, and “diffused” along trade routes, which demonstrates cultural connections.

A large, round woven basket with intricate geometric patterns in natural, black, and brown colors is displayed upright against a beige wall on top of a dark wooden surface. — Susanne Hammel-Sawyer (Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians), Basket, 2024, Sumac and juncus, Image courtesy of Susanne Hammel-Sawyer

“As a first-time visitor to the Autry, I was particularly interested in the baskets on display, as I am a contemporary Chumash basket weaver. Drawn in by the title “Reclaiming El Camino,” I was pleased to see that here was a presentation through the eyes of the Indigenous people. This exhibit looks at these people as much more than impediments to Western expansion, more than souls to be converted to Catholicism, but rather as individuals indeed equal to any invading Spaniard . . .” To read more: Preserving, Practicing, and Appreciating Chumash Basketry

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Woven baskets with intricate patterns rest on a blanket in a sunlit field, with tall grass and a bright sky in the background. — Image courtesy of Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, photograph by Nik Blaskovich.