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8 - Resilience among Hunter-Gatherers in Southern California before and after European Colonization: A Bioarchaeological Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2018

By
Erin E. Bornemann  and
Lynn H. Gamble
Edited by
Daniel H. Temple  and
Christopher M. Stojanowski
Daniel H. Temple
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Virginia
Christopher M. Stojanowski
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
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Summary

This chapter explores resilience in the coastal Chumash of California in the face of drastic changes during European colonization that limited access to specific resources that had customarily been used. Focusing on the site of Malibu, we document continuity in mortuary rituals, feasting behavior, and the production of shell beads and basketry that were important components of the exchange system that integrated communities economically and symbolically. Implied in the persistence of traditional practices is the agency of the Chumash, who made use of European goods when convenient, while still retaining traditional lifeways. Evidence of resilience can also be seen at the inter- and intra-societal level in the establishment and maintenance of exchange networks that were responsible for the movement of goods, information, and people (through marriage) that created reciprocal relationships between groups within the network. These reciprocal ties were reinforced by visible demonstrations of this relationship. As argued in this chapter, the Chumash were able, through adaptability in social practices, to withstand drastic social changes, namely European colonization.
Type
Chapter
Information
Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation and Resilience
A Bioarchaeological Perspective
 , pp. 168 - 192
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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