(*remember to have a dictionary handy to look up these vocabulary words for increased understanding)
by Janice E. Ross
What is a 'Toshaawt' Dr. J. Timbrook
The Chumash had a stone they considered to have magical powers. This stone had the ability to heal, sing and gurgle, keep their homes safe from storms, and was able to make rain. If their child was sick the stone was placed in water and then the water was drank by the child to make them better. It was believed that the stone would sing at ceremonies thus was often referred to as 'the singing stone'.
The 'Toshaawt' (pronounced ta-shout) is described as being a dark colored, flat round stone of quartzite with iron deposits, that is worn smooth by the beach and ocean. It was used by many tribes in Central and Southern California including the Gabriella of the Los Angeles area. Legend has it, that this stone was also responsible for the creation of the oceans. The legend is that the ocean was once a *mere river so filled with fish that they were stacked one on top of the other, making it an uncomfortable place to live. One of the Toshaawt stones was placed in this river and the river turned into the ocean where the many fish were then free to swim and enjoy it's *vast space.
Researchers wanted to find the *origin of this stone and in 1988 some stones were found on San Nicholas Island that were dark rusty iron in color and very similar in shape and color to the magical stones described by the Native Americans who treasured them. Scientists believe that perhaps the long distance to acquire the stones from the shores of San Nicholas Island increased their value and *attributed to their powers.
Continue