Island Chumash Land Use and Craft Production in Laguna Canyon, Santa Cruz Island

The archaeology of Santa Cruz Island has focused mainly on coastal sites that represent long periods of permanent occupation on the island, producing many important insights into Chumash society. The relationship between the coastal sites and smaller settlements up into island drainages, such as Laguna canyon, has received far less attention. This research on small sites will allow us to understand resource access, craft production, and the use of the island landscape by the Chumash, expanding our knowledge of the ways in which complex hunter-gatherers utilized a variety of terrestrial and estuary resources. To understand the function of these sites, the length of occupation, the distinct seasonality of occupation, and the intensity of craft production must be investigated. Sites functioning as a part of the broader production system of the island Chumash should contain evidence for craft production.