Have you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a Chumash home? Style of Chumash Shelter? Do you actually know what a Chumash house looks like? What type of shelter did the Chumash People actually live on?

The Chumash were native Indians of the United States. They have made several settlements in the regions of California.

The Chumash lived in a house called an “ap.”

Style of Chumash Shelter

Shape of the houses

Each of the Chumash Indians’ houses looked much like the same and was very traditional. They looked much like a miniature dome, lined in one long line against each other. The Chumash homes had a big mushroom head-like roof. The bottom part was very round like the bottom of a mushroom. You can clearly recognize a Chumash settlement from afar since they would look like a mushroom patch.

The outside was covered with layers of bulrush overlapping each other in a crosswise motion. A hole at the top of this small dome-like house was made to provide air circulation.When it rained, the hole was covered with a specific type of animal skin. The houses were estimated to be 12 to 20 feet in diameter.

Materials for the houses

The Chumash used a lot of materials and components for their houses. This is in order for their houses to stand strong and not easily fall down in any given weather. They used a lot of natural resources for their houses like redwoods, and cedars. These houses were also made of whalebone, with tile mats both for the roof and platforms for sleeping. So as you can all visualize, the Chumash were pretty particular with the materials used in building their houses.

Number of People in Each house

The Chumash homes were actually quite huge. This is so a lot of people can stay in each house.

In Style of Chumash Shelter,  the biggest Chumash homes could actually fit up to 50 people. That could only mean that they could fit tons of people in every Chumash village. It could also mean that the population of each village was really big if you consider that they can accommodate that much people in a single shelter.

Location

The Chumash, like typical tribes of the past, built their houses near natural resources like water. Chumash villages were commonly situated along rivers, streams, and springs. This made it really effortless for them to get water, swim, and canoe. They could also use water for other necessities.

Number of Houses in each village

On each Chumash village, there were about a hundred houses built. These houses were built really close to each other so each neighbor can talk and socialize at nearer distances. The kids can play with other Chumash Indians children. It’s like having a big playgroup.

The Chumash Houses were built to sustain any form of weather. They may be made of natural materials, but the Chumash made sure that they use the finest and most durable natural materials so as to keep their houses sturdy as possible.

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