Chumash
John’s research into Chumash history and culture began in the late 1970’s when he was working at the University of California. He visited the national archives with Dr.Greg Schaaf to research the history of the Tejon Reservation. Very little was known at this time about the Mountain Chumash participation in the 1851 Tejon treaty and their struggles to hold onto their ancestral lands.
Over the next four decades, John researched and wrote a number of papers and books on the Chumash, focusing on history and philosophy.
Social/Political
Articles
Chumash Role in Governing California’s Marine Sanctuary
The Moon Mars and Chumash Traditionalism
The Chumash Indians and the California Spaceport
California Commercial Spaceport Rises on Native Land 1998
Identifying the Old and the New Jonjonata
Anthropology, Nihilism, Fundamental Christianity
Teaching Chumash Culture
Wimat Island and Contemporary Chumash Indians
A Modern People
Books
JONJONATA
A report submitted to Caltrans on the Chumash Indian archaeological site called Jonjonata. Features the history of Jonjonata and proposes changes in Caltran’s policies for developing ethno-histories of native sites.
Marginalizing the Chumash Indians
A collection of essays on the systemic neglect of government and mass media to empower public awareness of Chumash history and culture.
An Apology to the Chumash Indians
A collection of essays on the historical abuses of the Chumash Indians and the need for public acknowledgment and apology.
Academic Nihilism And the Chumash Indians
A collection of essays on the hubris of government, mass media, and academics towards the Chumash people. Denial of the claims of anthropologists to be proper gatekeepers of Chumash culture.
No Brave Champion
Racism, and the historic failures of the University of California to champion Chumash cultural preservation.