Samala Chumash Language

sanaqipnas e a qsi It’s a beautiful day

kaqnio ha mowouš - I like sweets

suk' a pšipšel a 'aqš'utapinimu' - What are you cooking for dinner?

kila kina'n nox a 'ima'm - Let's go to the living room

kila kiyaxikum - Let's dance!

I cook for my family - kšipšeliyew a kiskon

ka šo ha patk i halloween!

mexme'y - juncus Most important basketry material: baskets were used for cooking, storing water, gathering, storing valuables, along with many other uses. Chumash women are renowned for their basketry skills.

tok (dogbane) This is used for cordage and is the most important to our people and used for many purposes: fishing lines, nets, sewing thread, ceremonial regalia, boat thatching and more.

Making Moluš Salve (mugwort)

Waštiq’oliq’ol (Wild Rose) Wild rose hips are ready to gather! Rose hips are full of Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids (essential for proper absorption of the immune boosting vitamin). You can eat the skin and flesh from a freshly picked rose hip, which has a sweet citrusy and almost cranberry taste. They can also be de-seeded and dried for tea and oils, fresh waštiq’oliq’ol can also be made into a delicious jelly or jam. Waštiq’oliq’ tea flushes the kidneys and urinary tract, reinforces digestion and relieves mild rheumatic pain. Waštiq’oliq’ol can also be strung for necklaces and earrings K’umuye (enjoy)

Haku Kašho ha suken (hello, goodmorning) it is officially ‘ixpanš season (acorn). This is the first fall of acorns, remember to leave the first fall for the animals. Keep an eye out for second fall to gather. Stay tuned for more information on ‘ixpanš.

Xutaš (coffeeberry) has a strong coffee taste and is very similar to espresso. It has a soft sweet flesh like a blueberry and has 2-3 medium sized seeds. Bark from this plant was brewed into a tea used as a laxative.

Qayas (Elderberry) Don’t forget to gather your elderberry! Elderberry season is coming to an end. You can clip the bunch off and rinse, pat the berries dry. Dehydrating these berries allows you to store them and make jam or syrup at a later time. Things to make out of elderberry include jam,syrup, and tea.

Rainbow Maria Solares said to never point at a rainbow, always use your elbow.

California sage There are many different traditional uses of wewe'y, the most common use is to wet the sage in a stuk (wooden bowl), and is then used to cleanse the body and mind.