Living Legacy

An interior view of one of the museum’s domes that recall traditional Chumash dwellings.

Written by Lorie Dewhirst Porter
Photographs by Patrick W. Price

New Architecture on Indigenous
Lands (University of Minnesota Press, $75).

The indigenous Chumash people have inhabited Southern California for millennia, and their territory encompasses the counties of Kern, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. Now the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has opened a museum specifically dedicated to Chumash culture. The 14,000-square-foot SANTA YNEZ CHUMASH MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER, designed by the Seattle-based firm of Jones & Jones Architects, is anchored by two iconic giant domes that visually recall the traditional Chumash dwellings known as tule 'ap, while the surrounding property includes a 3.5-acre cultural park landscaped with native plant species. The museum showcases more than 24,000 historically items donated by tribal members, acquired from institutions and collectors, or commissioned from artists and artisans. 3500 Numancia St., Santa Ynez, sychumashmuseum.org