Chumash Powered: The craft of building Chumash canoes | Patagonia Films

The Chumash have been a maritime culture for thousands of years, their territory stretching from Malibu to Point Conception and westward to the sandstone cliffs of the Channel Islands, twenty miles off the coast of California. To navigate the treacherous currents of the channel for fishing and trading, they built the strong plank canoe tomols for which they are famous. But over centuries of European colonization, which included forced assimilation and enslavement of Chumash people, the craft of tomol building was nearly lost. Today, Alan Salazar works alongside his Chumash and Fernandeño Tataviam communities to pass their knowledge to the next generation of tomol builders and paddlers.
Please join us in supporting the Tataviam Land Conservancy’s project to build two tomols, which will bring folks from the Fernandeño Tataviam and Chumash tribes together through educational events and workshops around tomol craft, culture and paddling. Please specify “Tomol Project” in the message box on donation page. www.tataviam.land/donation/
Directed by Ben-Alex Dupris
Produced by Lisa Remington, Monika McClure
Exec Producer Alex Lowther, Damien Etchaubard
Edited by Nate Blackmon
Music by Minna Choi
Cinematography Martina Radwan
Additional Cinematography Serena Hodges, Tim Davis
Field Sound Recordist Adam Foster Jacobs
Associate Producer & Boatman Peter Bruno
Field Producer Katy Beal
Assistant Editors Anthony Deng, David Aristizabal
Image Treatments Alphonse Swinehardt
Title Treatment Ben Blanchard
Map Barry Thompson
DI by Different by Design
DI Colorist Luke Cahill
DI Editor Misha Aranyshev
DI Assistant Mike Werner
DI Producers Matt Radecki, Greg Lanesey, Thomas Carmichal
Re-Recording Mixer David F. Van Slyke
Footage Provided by
Michael Hanrahan "Return to Limuw"
NOAA "Homecoming: Journey to Limuw"
Archival Images
Santa Barbara Natural History Museum
Museum of Ventura County
Black Gold Cooperative Library System
The Bancroft Library, Gerald Cassidy pictorial collection
Very Special Thanks
Alan Salazar & Mona Lewis
Chumash Tomol Families
Marcus Lopez
Matthew Vestuto
Special Thanks
Tim Davis
Jeff McElroy
Hannah Rogers
Deya Terrafranca
Kristina Uvalle
Nicholas Zachar
For more from Patagonia Films, visit www.patagonia.com/films/

[@jennymauger]

🙏🐚 ty Chumash, Alan for your being & Patagonia for the acknowledgment. Ty for ceremony & gifting our waka hourua a paddle when they visited 2011. Cptn Frank Kawe lashed Te Matau a Māui’s paddle just aft & above the pivot of her hoe urangi / steering paddle as she navigated the remainder of Te Mana te Moana Voyage throughout Te Moana Nui a Kiwa / Pacific. Based in Ahuriri / Napier, Aotearoa / New Zealand, for many years your gift stayed in place plying local waters & carrying our combined msgs further … My immediate family are blessed that our grandfather was from a long line of boat builders & became a shipwright then self taught painter portraying scenes of water, shores, Antarctica … Nui te aroha / much love ♾️💙♾️

[@jeremyrogers8828]

Directed by Ben-Alex Dupris, a Colville Tribal Filmmaker. Excellent work!

[@Bendigenous]

Thanks Jeremy, I'm grateful to have directed it! Our team @Charliebirdhat appreciates that Patagonia supported this Native directed film for Alan and his Chumash story, as it also helps bring Native American creative professionals into the spotlight. Collectively we've been making films for decades, and opportunities like these are now helping audiences see the potential in Indigenous-led filmmaking on a commercial level. Much respect to Patagonia for giving us the chance to share story.

[@johnzdesignsart2993]

Let's not forget The Brotherhood of the Tomol in 1976 using the Tomol named Helek. Good video and thanks to all the people who helped give more awareness about the Stolen Lands here in the Chumash nation.

[@dennislewis2439]

This film was very well written, filmed and directed! Incredible story about a strong tribal tradition! Great job!

[@bradgantt1818]

What a beautiful craft, tradition and story. Thank you for sharing.

[@patagonia]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@_TravelWithLove]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful video !! Insightful and educational !! Positive and Outstanding !! Greetings from Santa Barbara … Happy Wednesday !! I wish all Chumash and everyone around the world 🌎🌍🌏 good health, success and happiness !! Much Love ✌️😎💕

[@lisakasprzycki]

I shed some 💧💧💧 to see this ~ because as i understand it, you're neighbor or relation to the people who ( are ? ) rose out of/ with the land and natural elements i have loved where i was born in Laguna beach ~ i always stood there in quiet times and thought 'where are the people ? Who was made by this place ? ~~~ so, just to see you ( all) being your selves.. brings some answer to the question i used to ask to the land there. I am just grateful to see this. May Chumash and Tongva ~ from beloved places i have known ~ blossom in strength and harmony. 🌊

[@pablopicoso]

That’s very kind of you. There’s a lot of us around, but broken up into small bands. It would be good if we could come together again.

[@shaggyfeng9110]

Beautiful as always, Patagonia

[@patlorch8478]

What a beautiful craft. I’d love to see this boat in action!

[@michel3691]

Have a beautiful time paddling!💚 I'm sorry for all that has been done to your people. May your culture continue far into the future.

[@goukhanakul]

Very interesting as I’ve grown up paddling in Hawaii like my ancestors. It very sad to see the similarities in how the culture and language was almost lost due to being colonized similar to our culture and language almost being lost here as well. Beautiful wa’a by the way I never knew Chumash were a sea faring tribe and reminds me of us.

[@Danimal1577]

I attended to a talk Alan did. Interesting history 🛶

[@RaymondRAYCE]

Amen. That's family. Cool to see this...

[@kyota_ohgi]

fantastic ocean i have together!

[@jirikrajnak9047]

old timer's got good fashion sense.