The Chumash Indians produced shell beads for thousands of years in the Santa Barbara Channel region, with special bead-manufacturing sites well-documented. Archaeologists specializing in this region have suggested that shell bead money was initially used about 800 years ago. Archaeological correlates are presented to help determine criteria for the identification of shell bead money versus shell beads used for other purposes, such as ornamentation and status markers. Based on multiple lines of evidence, I propose that the use of shell money started about 1,000 years earlier than previously thought in Southern and Central California, dating back to about 2,000 BP. Ethnohistoric and ethnographic sources document that currency was used to facilitate trade, extend social networks, purchase foodstuffs and objects, including ceremonial regalia, pay for services, and pay debts as part of redistribution. In Northern California, shell beads were used differently and were integral to bridewealth and debt that was incurred as part of this practice.

丘马什印第安人在圣塔芭芭拉海峡地区生产贝壳珠已有数千年的历史，并有专门记载的特殊珠子制造场所。专门从事该地区的考古学家建议，贝壳珠钱最初是在800年前使用的。介绍了考古相关因素，以帮助确定用于鉴定贝壳珠金与用于其他目的（例如装饰和状态标记）的贝壳珠的标准。基于多方面的证据，我建议使用空壳资金的时间比以前在南加州和中加州的想法要早约1,000年，可追溯到约2,000 BP。民族史和人种学资料表明，货币被用来促进贸易，扩展社交网络，购买食品和物品，包括礼仪，支付服务费用，并支付债务作为再分配的一部分。在北加利福尼亚州，贝壳珠的用法有所不同，是礼金和债务不可或缺的一部分，是这种做法的一部分。