The Chumash people have lived for centuries along the California coast between Malibu and San Luis Obispo. They were on hand to greet Cabrillo in 1542 and Gaspar de Portola in 1769. They coexisted with the Spanish communities of the Southern California Missions. And there are still about three thousand people of Chumash ancestry living in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Here, for the layman and the tourist, is a concise, entertaining, and informative view of a noble and important people: their history, their way of life, their arts, their beliefs and legends