Trans-Holocene and Inter-Island Approaches to Human-Coastal Interactions: A Case Study from the Channel Islands of California

Presented by:

Dr. Amy E. Gusick, Ph.D.

Associate Curator, Anthropology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

The Channel Islands of California have received much attention from researchers due, in part, to the long occupation history of the islands that spans at least 13,000 years. The northern islands, and the Chumash peoples who inhabited them, have played important roles in our understanding of early coastal adaptations and development of complexity among maritime adapted peoples; however, this is only part of the story. The Tongva (Gabrielino) who lived on the Southern Channel Islands have a similar occupational history, but lived in different environmental and geographic contexts and differ in language and cultural practices. The variation in adaptations between these sites and the dynamic relationship between people, islands, and climate change in Mediterranean environments can be understood through trans-Holocene and inter-island studies