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Cambria, San Simeon, North Coast
Cambria’s Chumash mural honors
ancient traditions and culture
A mural by Chumash artist John
Khus, celebrating the Chu-
mash heritage adorns the front of
the US Post Office in the Cambria’s
East Village.
Chumash territory spanned
7000 square miles ranging from
Malibu to Cambria and east to the
edge of the San Joaquin Valley.
Cambria is home to two Chumash
village sacred sites that have been
continuously occupied for 10,000
years. So, it made sense for the
Chumash Council and Beautify
Cambria to collaborate on a project
to honor this rich history.
John Khus was selected to
create a mural that celebrated the
tribe’s history as the first people
of San Luis Obispo County and
the new Chumash Heritage
Marine Sanctuary.
The sanctuary is
America’s 17th
national ma-
rine sanctu-
ary, and
it’s one of
the largest
at 5543
square
miles
along 116
miles of
coastline.
Khus drew
inspiration from
Cuyama rock paint-
ings, Canaliño rock paint-
ings, and Ventureño rock paintings
to create the mural, “Tomol Rides
Wishtoyo.”
The mural tells the story of a
Chumash elder watching over a
tomol (canoe) full of human spirits
traveling over a rainbow, known as
Wishtoyo, to meet their ances-
tors. According to Khus, tomol
crews knew the journey would be
dangerous and “their connection to
the spirit world would be very high
during their time on the ocean.”
Every image in “Tomol Rides
Wishtoyo” pays homage to
the Chumash people
and helps to edu-
cate visitors as
well. So, what
exactly does
everything
mean?
The large
rainbow
is called a
Wishtoyo.
Accord-
ing to the
Chumash,
Earth Mother
used the bridge for
the Chumash people.
It is also seen as a bridge to
the sacred. The face of a Chumash
leader is called a Wot. He would
represent the voices of their people
at councils and with the nation.
The Wot worked closely with the
people, medicine bearers, and the
storytellers to make sure everything
was in balance.
Preserving
Indigenous history
through visual
storytelling
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Mural “Tomol Rides Wishtoyo,” by John Khus.