Tomol
Encyclopedia
Tomols are plank-built boat
s, historically and currently used by the Chumash and Tongva Native Americans
in the Santa Barbara
and Los Angeles
area. They were also called tii'at by the Tongva. Tomols are 8 – long. They were especially important as both tribes relied on the sea for sustenance.
was used. When splitting the wood the crafters would seek straight planks without knotholes, then sand them with sharkskin. To bind the wood together, small holes were drilled in the planks so they could be lashed to one another. Finally, the seams were caulked with 'yop', a mixture of hard tar and pine pitch melted and then boiled. Red paint and shell mosaics were often added as decorations.
through long-established routes.
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
s, historically and currently used by the Chumash and Tongva Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
in the Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. They were also called tii'at by the Tongva. Tomols are 8 – long. They were especially important as both tribes relied on the sea for sustenance.
Construction
Tomols were preferably built out of redwood that had drifted down the coast. When supplies of redwood were lacking, local native pinePine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
was used. When splitting the wood the crafters would seek straight planks without knotholes, then sand them with sharkskin. To bind the wood together, small holes were drilled in the planks so they could be lashed to one another. Finally, the seams were caulked with 'yop', a mixture of hard tar and pine pitch melted and then boiled. Red paint and shell mosaics were often added as decorations.
Capabilities and use
Tomols were propelled with kayak-like paddles with the user in a crouching position, unlike kayaks where sitting is the norm. They were highly maneuverable. The Chumash and Tongva used them to paddle to the Channel IslandsChannel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
through long-established routes.
Reconstructions
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, and The Chumash Maritime Association of California house Tomols built by later Chumash descendants.Resources
- http://www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/kids/watercraft.htm
- Californian Indian Watercraft by Richard W Cunningham (ISBN 0-945092-01-6) 1989
- Tomol: Chumash Watercraft as Described in the Ethnographic Notes of John P Harrington, 1978. This book lists 7 pages of references.