Chumash ‘Tomol’ on display at local museum
Update: Exhibit extended through Thanksgiving
The Paso Robles Pioneer Museum currently has on display a child-size replica of a Chumash “Tomol”. When Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo first sailed up the coast of California in 1542 he saw Chumash Indians building these redwood craft on the beach and named the location El Carpinteria, the carpenter’s shop.
The scale reproduction now at the Pioneer Museum, like the originals, was glued with asphalt and tree sap then sewn together. The outsides were painted to keep the boat from leaking. The display is a unique opportunity for children and their parents to glimpse a living replica of a staple of Chumash culture.
Paso Robles Pioneer Museum is open free to the public Thursday through Sunday from 1-4 pm and is located at 2010 Riverside Ave, just south of the Paso Robles Event Center. The Tomol exhibit was extended and is now showing through Thanksgiving.
Just a point of clarification: unless this Tomol was built by a non-Chumash builder, it IS, in fact, an authentic Tomol – albeit one of smaller scale than the larger channel – traversing vessels. I'm pretty certain the Museum will take pride in the fact that they have an AUTHENTIC Tomol as opposed to a "replica"!
It was built by a non-Chumash (Tom Taylor), but he did do extensive research using very early descriptions of the building process. The Museum display gives some interesting facts about the craft and it's design.
Thanks for the info, Norm. This is a very delicate thing to delve into, but we (we Authentic Chumash) consider what Tom did an appropriation of our cultural identity. There are plenty of us still here who would have been willing to either assist, direct or even build a Tomol for the museum. Tom should have, at the VERY minimum, consulted us before he undertook this project. It is unfortunate that most people don't care enough to ask our permission to (essentially) take what is ours, but then I don't think they realize how sensitive an issue this is for us. We are working to remedy that problem. Also unfortunately, the museum does NOT have an authentic Tomol, or even a replica – it is a counterfeit, by the very definition. I think we will discuss, discern and decide if we wish to approach the museum with a request to remove the counterfeit article from display, and hope they abide by our request. If not, be certain we will make it know that what they have is, in fact, a counterfeit. No reputable museum I know of would dare display a counterfeit artifact unless they wished to sully their reputation.
Norm Cone did you, Tom Taylor or anyone from your museum consult with any Chumash person? FYI http://www.chumashmaritime.org/
Check it out.
Just a point of clarification: unless this Tomol was built by a non-Chumash builder, it IS, in fact, an authentic Tomol – albeit one of smaller scale than the larger channel – traversing vessels. I'm pretty certain the Museum will take pride in the fact that they have an AUTHENTIC Tomol as opposed to a "replica"!
It was built by a non-Chumash (Tom Taylor), but he did do extensive research using very early descriptions of the building process. The Museum display gives some interesting facts about the craft and it's design.
Thanks for the info, Norm. This is a very delicate thing to delve into, but we (we Authentic Chumash) consider what Tom did an appropriation of our cultural identity. There are plenty of us still here who would have been willing to either assist, direct or even build a Tomol for the museum. Tom should have, at the VERY minimum, consulted us before he undertook this project. It is unfortunate that most people don't care enough to ask our permission to (essentially) take what is ours, but then I don't think they realize how sensitive an issue this is for us. We are working to remedy that problem. Also unfortunately, the museum does NOT have an authentic Tomol, or even a replica – it is a counterfeit, by the very definition. I think we will discuss, discern and decide if we wish to approach the museum with a request to remove the counterfeit article from display, and hope they abide by our request. If not, be certain we will make it know that what they have is, in fact, a counterfeit. No reputable museum I know of would dare display a counterfeit artifact unless they wished to sully their reputation.
Norm Cone did you, Tom Taylor or anyone from your museum consult with any Chumash person? FYI http://www.chumashmaritime.org/
Check it out.