Lifeways

The Gabrieleno lived in villages of large, circular, multifamily pole houses covered with tule (a type of bulrush) mats. Island dwellers were known to use whale ribs for the framework and sea lion skins for coverings. Roofless ceremonial enclosures and earth-covered sweathouses served as communal structures. Hereditary chiefs ruled the village or tribelet, consisting of a main village with satellite villages. Tribal members gathered wild plant foods, acorns being a staple, and hunted small game in forests and fished rivers and ocean waters. The Gabrieleno were known for soapstone (steatite) carvings as well as circular clamshell disks, perforated, strung on a cord, and used in trade as a kind of money, much like the wampum of eastern ALGONQUIANS. Their religion had numerous deities, such as a Creator, the Sun, and the Moon, and sacred beings, such as Crow, Eagle, Owl, and Raven. The Gabrieleno originated the ritual drinking of toloache, a hallucinogen made from jimson-weed. At some point after the arrival of the Spanish, they came to practice the teachings surrounding the religion known as Changichngish, also practiced by the LUISENO, involving a savior figure, initiation of male youth into secret societies, and teachings designed to maintain traditional values while under cultural siege by the missionaries.

Early contact with Europeans exploring by ship along the coast was peaceful. The establishment of missions by the Spanish starting with San Diego de Alcala to the south in 1769 (see diegueno) and the forced conversion and labor of the Native peoples began the cultural decline of many CALIFORNIA INDIANS living on or near the coast. Mission San Gabrielino (or San Gabriel) was founded in 1771 (and moved in 1776), and Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana to its north, in 1797.