Chumash Story and Song Collection
A selection of Chumash stories and songs. You can download the entire collection in a single file here (75 megs).
Introduction
This collection of Chumash stories and songs was collaborated from Chumash people from different villages of the Santa Barbara County from the desert regions, mountain regions and the coastal regions. These songs were handed down to us and brought to the people, all people… meaning all races of human beings, all animal life, all fish life, stone people… “people” meaning all living things on this earth. This is shared with you so that you too can learn these songs and sing, so the people that are around you will understand your language. Hopefully this will be a great gift to you.
• Listen to the: introduction
Chumash Welcome Song
This first song, the Welcome song, is dedicated to the person who brought it to us… Grandfather ‘Samu’. This song came to him in a dream and when he woke up he came outside and told everyone to gather around and learn this song, it’s the song that will bring the spirits in. This will be the first song you sing whenever you gather.
• Listen to the: story | song
The Deer Dance song
This is the deer dance song in Barbareno Chumash. It was taught by Liz Domingez. This song is sang when gathering acorns to thank the deer for sharing the acorns with us because they need them too. Oak trees drop twice during the year, the first drop has worms which the deer really like, then after a slight pause, the oaks drop again which is gathered for us. This song is to thank the deer for sharing and pray for their health during the winter.
• Listen to the: story | song
The Tomol Launching song
Chumawish is a launching song that has been sung for thousands of years. Every time we launch a tomol, this song is sung by the paddlers before they leave on their journey across the channel. “Chumawish” is to be healthy, “tipa chumawish” is to be at peace or to find tranquility. This song is sung at the launch and also sung in the middle of the channel. During difficult conditions during a crossing this song is sang by the paddlers to center themselves because the journey can be hard on your body and come with fear. This is the tipa chumawish launching song that’s sung for anyone listening to it to find healing in their body as well as peace and tranquility in their spirit.
• Listen to the: story | song
Another Seaweed Dance song
This seaweed dance song honors the seaweed areas, the giant kelp beds out in the channel are a cradle of life, like the rain forest of the ocean. This is a fun dance song that talks about the incredible abundance that comes from the giant kelp beds.
• Listen to the: story | song
The Ocean Waves song
The tides and waves have been rising and lowering, breaking and receding for eons. This song is a mantra that prays of an infinitive awareness of goodness. This has been in motion long before human beings were born and will live on long after we are gone. While we human beings are here for only a small fragment of the continuum of the circle of time, ask yourself what good am I for the short time I am here? What good do I do today? What good are you for the short time you are here? What good do you do today?
• Listen to the: story | song
The Dolphin Calling song
Within the creation story of the dolphin and rainbow, our ancestors crossed the great rainbow bridge to the mainland. While crossing, some ancestors fell from the rainbow bridge and hit the water hard and began to drown. The spirit of the mother earth called out to the creator to save the people, and the drowning people were changed into dolphins. This prayer song is offered to anyone who is drowning under the weight of one’s pain and suffering. We call the dolphin to lift us up from the darkness of despair to the surface where we are able to breath the fresh air once again.
• Listen to the: story | song
The Ancestor song
This is an honoring song to our ancestors. This song speaks about the importance of talking about and remembering the old ancestral ways. “Sing and dance” says the song, and we remember. The spoken words at the end of the song say “I am alive, I am alive, because of our ancestors.”
• Listen to the: story | song
The Wolf Chase song
This song is sang usually at night around the fire with the women dancing around the fire and the men come in as being the wolf. This is a mating dance where the wolfs chase the deer, and as time goes by the women choose which wolf they want to capture.
• Listen to the: story | song