Book two in a Christmas series
[by Dr. John Anderson]
The Chumash Indians were one of the largest cultural groups in the western United States. They occupied a large segment of the coast and nearby mountains north of Los Angeles. The Mohave Indians live on the Colorado river, to the northeast of Los Angeles and separated from the Chumash by the vast Mohave desert. In spite of the geographical barriers to travel between the two native California groups, the Mohave and Chumash routinely traded by way of the Tejon pass in the northern Chumash mountains near Bakersfield
This is the second in a series of books on native American winter solstice/Christmas themes. Book one featured a Chumash narrative by the famous mythologist F.L. Kitsepawit. This story is from coastal California. It told of the virgin birth of a cultural hero named Ciqneq, and celebrated his extraordinary life achievements. The opening chapters of this second publication follows the comparable triumphs of a Chumash cultural hero named Tupnek.
"The parallels between the lives of Ciqneq and Tupneq and the Christian Jesus are numerous and quite interesting. Some scholars assume that these similarities are evidence that the life adventures of these Chumash heroes were derived from Christian folk lore disseminated at the California missions. But this explanation fails to account for the wide distribution of similar narratives among tribes who had little or no contact with the California missions.
The Mohave story featured in the second part of this text is a classic California hero narrative free of discernible Christian influence. The Mohave were fiercely independent and resisted conversion to European culture long after the coastal peoples of California were 'reduced' by imperialist Mexico. The Mohave story represents a narrative tradition, shared with the Chumash perhaps thousands of years before the appearance of Europeans on this continent." (J. Anderson, November, 1996).
"The Mohave and Chumash stories cited in this text are ancient. Given this antiquity, one might reasonably inquire why they are described in the title as "tales for the Christmas season"? They certainly were not classified as Christmas stories by native narrators, when they were first recorded in the earlier part of this century. The ethnographers John Harrington and Alfred Kroeber also did not identify them as Christmas stories.
My subtitle is not meant to confuse the reader, but rather to remind them that Christian Americans share many traditions in common with tribal peoples of California during what is popularly called 'Christmas.' The plot structure of both the stories featured in this text, for example, are heavily influenced by winter solstice symbolism. The character development of the heroes follows the pattern of the Sun, as it grows from its childhood into adulthood and finally into old age. Such literary traditions often go unappreciated because of the low priority which Christian churches place on ritual observances designed to honor the winter solstice [which is the astronomical event recognized by native traditionalists]. (J. Anderson, 1996, page 6)
"Unfortunately the writings of Alfred Kroeber, the celebrated 'father' of California anthropology, set the stage for decades of misunderstanding about Mohve culture, including their religious teachings about the Christmas season.
Kroeber encouraged the general public to dismiss Mohave folk lore, for example, as inferior to white American lore. It was not even as advanced in his opinion as that of other native peoples of California. "If Mohave civilization had been advanced enough to allow of their finding some clear central theme to hold together the welter of details and names," he complained, "their 'great tales' would no doubt seem impressive to us."
With these denigrating words, Kroeber revealed his general insensitivity to native California culture. Unfortunately generations of white anthropologists followed Kroeber, in misleading the California public about the significance of Mohave folk lore. This resulted in an under appreciation of their oral literature, including narratives like the T. Kavasuk story which embodies passages relevant to the Christmas season. A winter tale does not have to slavishly follow European style or content to be meaningful to the late December holidays." (J. Anderson, page 19, 1996)
"The Indians of southern California celebrated the Christmas season, thousands of years before the appearance of Europeans.... Why the Chumash and Mohave Indians recognized the last days of December as a holy period, when all the world was at peace. How they and their neighbors expressed festive hopes for peace on earth and a happy new year." (From the back cover).
You can order a personal copy of this small book (40 pages, staple bound, soft cover), or have your local library purchase a copy by sending $7.20 (includes shipping and handling) to American Designs Publishing, Box 546, Kootenai, ID 83840.
Chumash Christmas I
Chumash Mythology Books
Chumash House of Fate
Chumash Halloween
The Author
L.Y. Nutu [life story]