Tongva Ritual Practice on San Clemente Island: Exploring the Origins of the Chinigchinich Religion

The Chinigchinich religion is believed to have started among the Tongva on the Southern Channel Islands or at Puvungna and then spread to neighboring Takic peoples during the Protohistoric and Mission Periods in Alta California. Some scholars have hypothesized that the Chinigchinich religion developed from pre-Contact religious traditions in southern California, syncretically incorporated elements from Christianity, and/or constituted a nativistic revitalization movement that arose in opposition to Spanish colonization of Alta California. With a variety of ritual features, including canid and avian burials and public mourning features, the Lemon Tank (CA-SCLI-1524) artifact collection from San Clemente Island provides a rich source of data on Tongva ritual practices. Historical and ethnographic research connects some of these ritual features to the Chinigchinich religion. By using needle-drilled shell beads to determine which ritual features from Lemon Tank securely date to the Historic Period, this exploratory research investigates the development of Tongva ritual practices during the Mission Period. At least 16 of the 40 features that were analyzed securely date to the Historic Period. The data from Lemon Tank do not suggest the de novo emergence of unique ritual practices among the Tongva on San Clemente Island during the Mission Period. The abundance of shell beads and relative dearth of glass beads at Lemon Tank suggests that San Clemente Islanders may have actively avoided incorporating Spanish material culture in their ritual practices. This pattern may indicate that the Chinigchinich religion was a nativistic revitalization movement. This study concludes with discussion of possible fruitful lines of inquiry for future research on the origin and development of the Chinigchinich religion.