Hello.

Lately, I have been trying to learn the names and pronounciations of certain native plants in Chumash/Barbareño, though I cannot find any clear resources online. I particularly hope to learn the Chumash names of Quercus lobata, Quercus douglasii, Frangula californica, and Heteromeles arbutifolia. This is mainly because of my own curiosity and desire to share knowledge of California's native plant species with friends outside the state. Are there any sources that may be useful in this search, or suggested directions I can take to learn these names? 

Thank you,

David

David, Santa Barbara - October 24, 2026

Curator Response

Hi David,

The linguist J. P. Harrington recorded many plant names in the different Chumash languages in this course of his work with the Chumash Elders Luisa Ygnacio, Lucrecia García, Mary Yee, Juan Justo, María Solares, Rosario Cooper, Fernando Librado, Simplicio Pico, and Candelaria Valenzuela. Here is what is recorded for the species you asked about:

• Quercus lobata (Valley Oak) ta’ – Although that species is more common inland, not in Barbareño territory, that is the name in four Chumashan languages. 

• Quercus douglasii (Blue Oak) – This doesn’t grow in Barbareño territory, and no Barbareño name recorded. The Ineseño name is tušqun. 

• Frangula californica (California Coffeeberry, a.k.a. Rhamnus californica) puq’ 

• Heteromeles arbutifolia (Toyon) – qwe’  

Pronouncing Chumash languages can be challenging for monolingual English speakers. There's a simplified guide toward the bottom of this page made for students. Basically, the vowels in Chumash languages are as in Spanish, the ’ is a glottal stop (as in uh-oh) the š is like sh, the q is like k but farther back in the throat.

You can find much more information about Chumash plant knowledge—including names in the different Chumashan languages—in my book Chumash Ethnobotany, available in the Museum Store and Library. There’s a pronunciation guide in the book on p. 247. You can also visit the Sukinanik'oy Garden of Chumash Plants at the Museum to learn a little bit about a sampling of local plants, including their names.

UCSB Linguistics doctoral candidate James Yee has been studying the Barbareño Chumash language spoken by his grandmother, Mary Yee, the last native speaker of that language. She worked with Harrington and also made sound recordings with Madison Beeler. James will be speaking at this upcoming event that might interest you—it's a good opportunity to hear Barbareño spoken and maybe to ask about pronunciation in person.

Stay curious,

Curator Emeritus of Ethnography Jan Timbrook, Ph.D.