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5) Southwest Tribal Region-Sunny Beaches and Burning Bushes

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7) Eastern Tribal Region-Cold Winds and Scents of Sagebrush

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2) North Central Tribal Region-Hills, Valleys, and Coasts

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Facts for Kids: Chumash Indians (Chumashes)

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Information about the Chumash Indians for students and teachers. Covers food, homes, arts and crafts, weapons, culture, and daily life of the Chumashes.

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Our people once numbered in the tens of thousands and lived along the coast of California. At one time, our territory encompassed 7,000 square miles that spanned from the beaches of Malibu to Paso Robles. The tribe also inhabited inland to the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley.

We called ourselves "the first people," and pointed to the Pacific Ocean as our first home. Many elders today say that Chumash means "bead maker" or "seashell people." The Chumash Indians were able to enjoy a more prosperous environment than most other tribes in California because we had resources from both the land and the sea.

As hunters, gatherers, and fishermen, our Chumash ancestors recognized their dependency on the world around them. Ceremonies soon came to mark the significant seasons that their lives were contingent upon with emphasis given to the fall harvest and the storage of food for the winter months. During the winter solstice, the shaman priests led several days of feasting and dancing to honor the power of their father, the Sun.

Our Chumash ancestors lived in large, dome-shaped homes that were made of willow branches. Whalebone was used for reinforcing and the roofs were composed of tulle mats. The interior rooms were partitioned for privacy by hanging reed mats from the ceiling. As many as 50 people could live in one house. With platform beds built above the ground, the Chumash used the area under the platforms to store personal belongings.

Our people distinguished themselves as the finest boat builders among the California Indians. Pulling the fallen Northern California redwood trunks and pieces of driftwood from the Santa Barbara Bay, our Chumash ancestors soon learned to seal the cracks between the boards of the large wooden plank canoes using the natural resource of tar. This unique and innovative form of transportation allowed them access to the scattered Chumash villages up and down the coastline and on the Channel Islands.

As the Chumash culture advanced with basketry, stone cookware, and the ability to harvest and store food, the villages became more permanent. The Chumash society became tiered and ranged from manual laborers to the skilled crafters, to the chiefs, and to the shaman priests. Women could serve equally as chiefs and priests. Chieftains, known as wots, were usually the richest, and, therefore, the most powerful. It was not uncommon for one chief to hold responsibility for several villages. The son or daughter could inherit this position of authority for the Chumash community when the chief died.

The Chumash villages were endowed with a shaman/astrologer. These gifted astronomers charted the heavens and then allowed the astrologers to interpret and help guide the people. The Chumash believed that the world was in a constant state of change, so decisions in the villages were made only after consulting the charts.

In the rolling hills of the coastline, our Chumash ancestors found caves to use for sacred religious ceremonies. The earliest Chumash Indians used charcoal for their drawings, but as our culture evolved, our ancestors colorfully decorated the caves using, red, orange, and yellow pigments. These colorful yet simple cave paintings included human figures and animal life. They used a technique of applying dots around the figures to make them more distinct. Many of the caves still exist today, protected by the National Parks system, and illustrate the spiritual bond the Chumash hold with our environment.

As with most Native American tribes, the Chumash history was passed down from generation to generation through stories and legends. Many of these stories were lost when the Chumash Indian population was all but decimated in the 1700s and 1800s by the Spanish mission system.

Development of Missions and the Central Coast
In 1769, a Spanish land expedition, led by Gaspar de Portola, left Baja California and reached the Santa Barbara Channel. In short order, five Spanish missions were established in Chumash territory. The Chumash population was eventually decimated, due largely to the introduction of European diseases. By 1831, the number of mission-registered Chumash numbered only 2,788, down from pre-Spanish population estimates of 22,000.

The modern day towns of Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria were carved out of the old Chumash territory. The town of Santa Barbara began with Spanish soldiers who were granted small parcels of land by their commanders upon retiring from military service. After mission secularization in 1834, lands formerly under mission control were given to Spanish families loyal to the Mexican government. Meanwhile, other large tracts were sold or given to prominent individuals as land grants. Mexican authorities failed to live up to their promises of distributing the remaining land among the surviving Chumash, causing further decline in the Chumash population.

By 1870, the region's now dominant Anglo culture had begun to prosper economically. The Santa Barbara area established itself as a mecca for health seekers, and by the turn of the century it became a haven for wealthy tourists and movie stars. Around 1880, the region began to establish itself as an important hub of agriculture and horticulture. Most of the Chumash who remained in the area survived through menial work on area farms and ranches.

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Our people once numbered in the tens of thousands and lived along the coast of California. At one time, our territory encompassed 7,000 square miles that spanned from the beaches of Malibu to Paso Robles. The tribe also inhabited inland to the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley.

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Native American Indian Tribes

Site Index

Facts about the Chumash Native Indian Tribe
This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Chumash Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Chumash tribe live, what clothes did they wear and what food did they eat? Discover what happened to the Chumash tribe with facts about their wars and history.

What was the lifestyle and culture of the Chumash tribe?
The ancient Chumash tribe occupied the southern coastline of California from 700AD and are noted for the many rock paintings, mostly found in caves in the interior of the Chumash land, that are considered to be some of the most spectacular in the United States. The Chumash lived in well organized villages consisting of well constructed tule mat grass houses or huts and their territory encompassed 7,000 square miles. Santa Barbara was the central point in their lands which extended from the Channel Islands to Malibu up to Paso Robles and inland to the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley. The Chumash were the elite Californian tribes and their astronomers charted the night sky and had their own solar and star charts. The Chumash people were great fishers and constructed a distinctive type of planked, seagoing canoe, called a tomol. The length of the tomols measured up to 30 feet in length and were occasionally used for whaling. Smaller tomols were used for transportation and catching smaller fish. The Spanish invaded their lands in the late 1700's and forced the Chumash to convert to Christianity become slave-like 'Mission Indians'. The harsh treatment by the Spanish and then the Mexicans led to the short-lived Chumash Revolt of 1824.

What language did the Chumash tribe speak?
The Chumash tribe spoke in a Salinan-Seri dialect of the Hokan language family. The word 'Chumash' means "bead maker" or "seashell people". They were described by the Spanish as "of good disposition, affable, liberal, and friendly". The six languages within the Chumashan language family were named after the missions which the languages were associated: San Luis Obispo, Mission La Purisima, Mission Santa Ynez, Mission Santa Barbara and Mission San Buenaventura.

Where did the Chumash tribe live?
The Chumash are people of the California Native American cultural group. The location of their tribal homelands are shown on the map. The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Chumash tribe.

Land: Sea, coastal regions, rivers and lakes

Climate: Mild temperate climate

Natural Resources: Oak trees, acorns, buckeye nuts, mushrooms, hazel nuts, bulbs, roots, grasses, tule and seaweed

Types of housing or shelters: Domed-shape tule mat grass houses or huts

Land animals: The animals included deer, elk, rabbits, squirrels, quail, mountain sheep and bear

Sea Mammals: Whales, sharks, sea lions and sea otters

What clothes did the Chumash men wear?

The clothes worn by the Chumash men were limited to aprons woven from grass or bark fibers. In the winter months warm clothing was needed made from the hides of animals such as deer (buckskin), elk, squirrel, rabbit, black bear and wildcats. The Chumash garments included fur robes, kilts or aprons, and leggings. They wore one-piece moccasins with long tops that were wrapped about the calf, but went barefoot in the warmer weather. The ceremonial crown-style headdresses of the Chumash consisted of a circular head roll that was made of bound tule and covered with fur. The central section of the headdress was made with a band of flicker feathers topped by feather plumes. Many Chumash people wore ear and nose ornaments as well as face and body paint, that was similar to the Mojave tribe. The paint was made use of black and white coloring often applied in horizontal lines, as can be seen in the picture. The white color was obtained from chalk deposits and charcoal was easy to make resulting in distinctive white and black face and body painting.

What did the Chumash tribe live in?
Grass Houses: The Chumash tribe of California lived in shelters of dome-shaped shelters called Grass Mat Houses as depicted in the picture at the top of this page. To build the grass houses, the Chumash men first created a circular willow framework. The size was about 7 - 10 feet in diameter and about 7 feet high - the chief's house was up to 35 feet across. The Chumash women harvested the long green stems of (Southern Bulrush), Cattail or Giant Wild Rye which were dried over several weeks. After the grass had dried, the women weaved and sewed the rushes into rectangular mats about 2 feet wide. The grass mats were sewn together with dogbane (Indian hemp) and tied to the willow frame. An opening in the roof created a smoke hole. The doors of the Chumash grass houses always faced towards the east and were built near water.

Chumash History Timeline

AD 700: The ancient Chumash people settled in Santa Barbara Bay

1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explores California, makes the first European contact with the Chumash and claims the land for Spain

In 1769, a Spanish land expedition, led by Gaspar de Portola, left Baja California and reached the Santa Barbara Channel

1770: Spanish settle on the territory of the Chumash.

1776: Santa Barbara Mission is built and the Spanish mission system is established in Southern California

1790's: The Spanish began raiding Chumash villages for converts forcing them to work as slaves in Spanish missions.

1796 - 1823: The Chumash are forcibly moved to the following missions: San Luis Obispo, Mission La Purisima, Mission Santa Ynez, Mission Santa Barbara and Mission San Buenaventura

1800's: The Spanish devastate the Chumash culture

1812: Earthquake and tidal wave and many Chumash move further inland

1821: Mexico wins its independence from Spain and takes control of Alta and Baja California

1824: The Chumash Revolt of 1824 involved conflicts and Chumash uprisings at Missions Santa Ines, La Purisima, and Santa Barbara. The revolt was sparked by the routine whipping of an Indian at the Santa Ynez mission and escalated as Chumash rebelled against the ill treatment and forced labor imposed by the priests and soldiers

1824: The uprising fails following four moths of conflict and the Chumash leaders, Mariano, Pacomio, Benito, and Bernarde, were sentenced to 10 years of chain-gang labor

1824: Surviving rebels are indentured to Mexicans

1833: Cholera and Malaria epidemics kill many Chumash people

1833: American fur trappers found a village of Chumash living near Walker Pass who had fled from the Spanish missions during the 1824 revolt

1838: Smallpox epidemic (1838-1839) spreads amongst the Chumash

1838: The Alta California missions are closed as religious and farming communes

1841: The California Trail opens

1846: South Emigrant Road aka the Applegate Trail opens

1848: California is passed to the US with the Treaty of Guadalupe

1848: January 24, 1848: Gold is discovered at Sutter's timber Mill starting the California Gold rush

1848: The white settlers and gold prospectors bring more diseases to the Native Indians who lived in the surrounding areas of the westward trails

Chumash History Timeline

Interesting Facts and information about the way the Chumash people lived

The clothes worn by men and women

Description of the homes and the type of food the Chumash would eat

Fast Facts and info about the Chumash

Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Chumash Native American Indians

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Native American Indian Tribes Site Index Facts about the Chumash Native Indian Tribe This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Chumash Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Chumash tribe live, what clothes did they wear and what food did they eat?

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Location: Southern California coast (Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties)

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Location: Southern California coast (Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties)

Language: Hokan family

Population:
1770 estimate: 10,000
1910 Census: 74

The Chumash were the first early Californians to be visited by Spanish explorers when Juan Cabrillo sailed along their coast in 1542. Cabrillo left a record of the people and their villages, as did Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602. The Chumash were destroyed by life at the missions of Santa Ynez, San Buenaventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and La Purisima Concepcion between 1772 and 1834.

SETTLEMENTS

The Barbareño, who lived on the coast of the Santa Barbara Channel, were the best known of the Chumash people. There were many more villages along the coast, both here and to the north, than there were inland. There were also Chumash villages on three of the Channel Islands. The names of several hundred Chumash villages are recorded.

There were at least six Chumash languages. The name Chumash comes from the word used by the people for one of the islands, Mi-tcú-mac. They did not use this name to refer to themselves.
HOUSES
A Spanish explorer, Longinos Martinez, in 1792 described the Chumash village. "They arrange their houses in groups. The houses are well constructed, round like an oven, spacious and fairly comfortable; light enters from a hole in the roof. Their beds are made on frames and they cover themselves with skins and shawls. The beds have divisions between them like the cabins of a ship, so that if many people sleep in one house, they do not see one another. In the middle of the floor they make a fire for cooking seeds, fish, and other foods."

The houses, some of which were as much as 50 feet across, were made with a frame of poles arranged in a circle, then arched inward to meet in the middle. Other poles were fastened across these poles, and the frame was covered with bundles of grass or tule reeds. Reed mats were used on the floor and beds. Unlike most early Californians, the Chumash slept in beds raised off the ground. Away from the Channel coastal villages, houses were usually smaller.

Each village had a sweathouse, built around a hole dug in the ground. A low frame of poles was covered with brush and earth. The door was an opening in the roof, and the men used a ladder to climb down inside.
FOOD
The most important food for the Chumash was the acorn, which they gathered from the live oak trees. Those who lived along the coast also depended on sea food. They ate many ocean fish (shark, sea bass, halibut, bonito) as well as mussels, barnacles, and clams. Abalone was a main food on the islands.

Hunting was done on both sea and land. Seals, sea otters, and porpoises were taken with harpoons from canoes, but whales were eaten only when they were washed ashore. Deer, coyote, fox, rabbits, ducks and geese added to the food supply.

The amole, or soap plant, was a favorite of the Chumash. The bulb was eaten, after being roasted. The plant also furnished soap for washing, and husks for making brushes. Other plant foods gathered were pine nuts, wild cherries, cattails, berries, mushrooms, and many types of seeds.
CLOTHING
Chumash women wore a double apron of deerskin, hanging from the waist to the knees, with the edges fringed and decorated with shells. Men often wore nothing. For cold weather, cloaks were woven from the skins of rabbit, fox, or sea otters. Feather cloaks were made by twisting feathers with cord, then weaving the strips together. Necklaces and earrings were made of shell and bone. The Chumash also decorated themselves by painting designs on their bodies. Each village had a special design.
TOOLS
Canoes made by the Chumash were admired by the Spanish explorers. Unlike any other early California people, the Chumash made canoes from several planks of pine wood, joined at the seams with cord and pitch. The canoes were from 12 to 30 feet long, and were paddled by two men. They were used for travel along the coast and out to the Channel Islands. Only those Chumash who lived along the Channel coast made these canoes. Those who lived further north on the coast (known as the Obispeño and the Purisimeño) did not make canoes, but used simple tule reed rafts for crossing small bays.

Other fine woodworking was done by the Chumash, who made wooden plates, bowls, and boxes. Pieces of whalebone were used to split the wood, which was then carved and finished with great skill. They also used steatite, a type of stone, to make skillets and pots for cooking. The steatite came from Santa Catalina Island, in neighboring Gabrielino area. Local sandstone was used to make large storage pots. Objects were often decorated with shell beads. Asphaltum, found along the Channel, was used to attach shells to pots, to seal the canoes, and to fasten arrow and spear points to the shafts.

The tools used to shape objects from wood and stone were simple scrapers of abalone or other shells, knife blades of flint, and sharp pieces of obsidian (volcanic glass). Whalebone, deer and bear bones, and swordfish bills were used as wedges and scrapers. Needles, awls, and fish hooks were made from bone. Holes were drilled in wood, shell, bone or stone by means of a piece of sharp flint set in the end of a wooden rod that was turned by rolling between the palms of the hand. Bristles of the sea lion were used as needles by the island Chumash. Rope was made from the yucca plant; string was made from hemp, nettle, or milkweed plants.

The Chumash were not only skilled in working with wood and stone, but also in basketmaking. They used both the coiling and the twining methods. When they wanted the baskets to hold water, they put finely ground asphaltum inside the basket and then dropped in some hot stones. The stones melted the tar of the asphaltum and it filled in the spaces in the weave of the basket, making it water-tight.
TRADE
It is likely that the Chumash were the supply source for southern California for the clamshell disk beads used as money by most of the central and southern Californians. The giant Pismo clam shell was broken into pieces, rounded into disks, holes punched in the middle, and the disks strung on strings. Long tube-shaped beads, as much as 3½ inches long and made from other shells, were also valued.

With the Yokuts to the northeast, the Chumash traded shells and other seashore items for obsidian, salt, antelope and elk skins, and herbs. They also traded with the Salinan to the north and the Kitanemuk to the east.
CEREMONIES
While a few other early Californians left rock paintings, those of the Chumash are among the most interesting in the United States. These rock paintings probably had some religious or ceremonial function. The sites of the paintings, high in the coastal mountain range away from the villages, may have been sacred spots for the people.

Where food was easy to get, the people had more time for games, singing, and dancing. Each Chumash village had a flat area for dancing and ceremonies. They had no drums, but used flutes made of wood or bone, whistles, the musical bow, and rattles.

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Location: Southern California coast (Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties) Language: Hokan family Population: 1770 estimate: 10,000 1910 Census: 74 The Chumash were the first early Californians to be visited by Spanish explorers when Juan Cabrillo sailed along their coast in 1542. Cabrillo left a record of the people and their villages, as did Sebastián Vizcaíno in 1602.

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The Ohlone people occupied the San Francisco and Monterey Bay regions for thousands of years. Part 1 of a 2 part series.

In the first part of this series, we will discuss the Ohlone name, their traditional territory, Ohlone languages, housing, food and clothes.

The Ohlone Name

The greater San Francisco Bay region is home to some of the world's biggest companies: Apple, Google, Facebook. It is also home to over 7 million people. Yet one thing that is easily forgotten, is that for several thousand years, it has been traditional territory of a people known as the Ohlone.

Today term "Ohlone" actually refers to a number of native groups of the north-central coast of California who spoke similar languages, and who eventually became part of the Spanish missions.

The Spanish referred to these people as costeños (coastal people), and anthropologists later anglicized that to "Costanoan." Today the term "Ohlone," is more common, and comes from a village on the San Mateo County coast, whose name was ʔolxon, sometimes spelled Alchone, Olchone, Oljon or Ol-hon.

What Language did the Ohlone Speak?

The Ohlone spoke many different languages. Scholars today believe that there were around 40 different languages spoken in Ohlone territory when the Spanish arrived. Some of these languages are Karkin, Chochenyo, Tamyen and Rumsen, and they correspond to tribal groups present during the 1770s.

Anthropologists today apply the names Ohlone or Costanoan to people who spoke these related languages. Early explorers noted that there were a great number of different languages among the natives they encountered, though the languages were very similar, like Spanish is to French. Mission records show that at each mission multiple languages were spoken by the native people there.

First Contact with the Spanish

The first contact between Ohlone groups and the Spanish probably took place in 1602, when Sebastián de Vizcaíno's expedition arrived in the Monterey area, searching for a safe harbor for Spanish ships. After Vizcaíno, however, the Spanish paid little attention to Alta California, until 1769, when Gaspar de Portola's expedition arrived in the Monterey area and established the presidio there. That is when continuous contact between the Olhlone and the Spanish really began.

Ohlone Territory

The Ohlone occupied the area from the northeastern extensions of the San Francisco Bay to just south of Monterey Bay, i n what are today the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, San Benito and northern Monterey.

The Ohlone were a numerous people in the region. Even in the early days of Spanish exploration, travelers such as Pedro Fages and Fr. Pedro Font mentioned seeing a large number of native settlements.In 1775, Juan Bautista de Anza mentioned seeing ten villagesin the area between what is today Palo Alto and San José, some with as many as twenty homes each.

The climate of the north-central California coast is generally mild. It is characterized by cool, rainy winters, and hot summers, though areas closer to the coast are naturally cooler and more moist, while inland valleys tend to be hotter and drier.

Ohlone territory is home to a large variety of geographical features, from mountains such as Mt. Diablo and Mt. Umunum, to valleys like the Livermore and Santa Clara Valley.

Of course one of the most important aspects of this area is a long stretch of the Pacific Coastline.The two main bodies of water are the San Francisco Bay and the Monterey Bay. TheOhlone also lived along a number of river systems, such as the San Lorenzo and the Carmel rivers, as well seasonal creeks and streams.

Ohlone Houses

In pre-mission times, the Ohlone lived in circular dwellings made of branches from willow trees or other plant materials, such as tule. The branches would be lashed or woven onto a framework of thin poles stuck into the ground supported by a circle of stones. In more forested or mountainous areas, they would also make houses out of redwood or other types of bark. Theses houses would usually have an opening in the top to let smoke from the fire escape. During hot periods of the year, families would often construct more open brush huts or ramadas near the ocean or river shores. During colder times of the year, they would move inland.

Ohlone homes were meant to be temporary - when it was time to move to another location, or when the houses became to old and dirty, they would be dismantled and burned.

The Ohlone also built structures for ceremonies, such as the temescal or sweat lodge, or larger buildings for dances or community gatherings.

When the Ohlone came into contact with the Spanish, over time, most joined the mission system. In many of the missions, Ohlone would move their homes close to the mission church. Some families that became more prominent at the mission would eventually build and move into permanent adobe homes.

What did the Ohlone Eat?

Prior to contact with the Spanish, the Ohlone followed a hunter-gather lifestyle, as did most California Indians.They harvested a large variety of plants and animals that grew in northern California.

Plants

Acorns were probably the most important food eaten by the Ohlone. They often used poles to knock the acorns loose from the oak trees. Once they had gathered enough acorns, they could grind them into a paste. Then they could either make a mush or a type of bread. Juan Crespí and Pedro Font, two Franciscan priests who accompanied Spanish explorers and wrote diaries of their expeditions, spoke of the Ohlone making "tamales" out of acorns.

One of the most important things about preparing acorns was to leech all of the bitterness out of them by soaking the paste in water. Otherwise the acorns could be very unpleasant to eat. Some of the soldiers of Gaspar de Portolá's expedition mentioned getting indigestion and even fever after eating acorns.

In addition to acorns, the Ohlone gathered and roasted a number of different plant seeds, and ate the nuts of the buckeye tree. They also collected berries, roots (like soaproot, and those of the wild onion and cattail), as well as wild carrots. One of the ways the Ohlone kept the land fertile was by doing periodic burns. These burns would allow them to clear away underbrush and permit seeds to germinate.

Hunting

Another advantage of periodic burns was that it could be an effective way to remove hiding places for game. The Ohlone were hunters, and would hunt large animals, such as the grizzly bears that used to roam the hills of Alta California. The would also hunt elk, deer and antelope. When hunting deer, one of their most effective techniques was to wear a deer's head as a disguise.They also hunted smaller mammals such as rabbits, squirrel and mice.

Waterfowl such as geese and ducks were an important part of the Ohlone diet, and they were masters at making nets to capture the birds. They also trapped or ensnared smaller birds, like quail and mourning doves. When hunting birds, the Ohlone also used decoys: a dead goose stuffed with straw could be very effective for attracting other geese.

In the rivers and streams, the Ohlone caught steelhead, salmon, sturgeon and other varieties of fish. On the coast, they hunted sea lions, or obtained meat from whale carcasses that washed up on the shore. According to early European visitors, the Ohlone were very fond of shellfish, particularly mussels.

During the mission period, the Ohlonebecame skilled farmers and ranchers, and learned to eat other foods, such as beef, fruits and vegetables and grains, in addition to their traditional foods.

What did the Ohlone Wear?

Thanks to the mild weather, Ohlone clothing prior to contact with the Spanish was fairly simple. Ohlone women often wore skirts that could be made of the skins of animals, such as deer or rabbit, or plant fibers woven together. They would also wear abalone or other types of shells as jewelry.

In warmer weather, men generally went about completely naked. During colder times of the year, they would at times wear a loincloth made of animals skins. Like almost all California native people, they would also wear rabbit skin blankets. Men would dress up by painting their bodies and wearing feathers or other objects for ceremonial dances or other special occasions.

Both men and women would sometimes wear tattoos or other types of body paint. It was customary to wear long hair, but sometimes it would be cut shorter, to about 4 or 5 inches.

When both men and women entered the missions, they were given a shirt with long sleeves called a cotón, and a blanket. Both were made of wool. Women were also given a woolen petticoat and men received a breechclout to cover their groin area. Each year everyone would receive a new set of garments.

Those who took up certain occupations, such as vaqueros or cowboys, would wear clothes appropriate to their jobs. Vaqueros, for example, would wear a broad-brimmed hat, trousers and boots suitable for horsemanship.

As the years passed, and the Ohlone became more accustomed to dealings with soldiers and settlers, many would adopt clothes similar to what was worn throughout Latin America.
Read Part 2 here. To learn more, I recommend you pick up one or more of the following books: The Costanoan Indians (Local History Studies Vol. 18) The Ohlone: Past and Present. Native Americans of the San Francisco Bay Region Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 8: California California Indians and Their Environment: An Introduction Do you have a question? Write it in the comments section below.

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Native Americans of the San Francisco Bay Area: The Ohlone, Part 1

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The Ohlone people occupied the San Francisco and Monterey Bay regions for thousands of years. Part 1 of a 2-part series about the life of the Ohlone people.

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Location: Central California coast (Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito Counties)

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'Makkin Mak Muwekma Wolwoolum, 'Akkoy Mak-Warep, Manne Mak Hiswi!'
'We Are Muwekma Ohlone, Welcome To Our Land, Where We Are Born'
One of the most unfortunate aspects of the American status quo is the constant ignorance about the people who lived in North America before western settlers crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The native tribes that inhabited America before Europeans were incredibly diverse and included the Muwekma Ohlone people who were the original residents of the Bay Area. In this article we will briefly outline the history of the Ohlone people and attempt to understand who they were as a collective people.

One of the most damaging myths that has somehow survived into the 21 st century is the false belief that all Native Americans were one giant 'uncultured' group. In fact, there are 562 federally recognized Indian tribes, bands, nations, pueblos, rancherias, communities and Native villages in the United States. As well, this number doesn't account for smaller tribes that still push for recognition from the federal government. The collective Ohlone people, who were also referred to as the Costanoan people, were in fact around 50 separate tribes with different languages that were collectively put under the greater Ohlone label when they were colonized by Spanish settlers. This family of tribes lived in the Bay Area for over 10,000 years and never actually viewed themselves as one district group.

The Muewkma Ohlone people inhabited the lands from the San Francisco Bay to the lower Salinas Valley. In San Francisco, there were villages located at today's Fort Mason, Crissy Field, and Sutro Baths. The groups freely interacted with one another and usually moved annually between temporary and permanent village sites in a seasonal round of hunting, fishing, and gathering. They also used the practice of periodic burning of the landscape to promote the growth of native grasses for seed gathering and to create forage areas for deer and elk. Some of the closest neighboring tribes were the Coast Miwok people who inhabited both Marin and Sonoma country to the north.

Each of the 50 or so tribes had around 50 to 500 members and the groups often used inter-tribal marriage to strengthen tribal bonds. The average Ohlone Indian survived off of a diet that mostly consisted of crushed acorns, nuts, grass seed, berries and trapped fish or game. Most of the tribes built dome-shaped houses of woven or bundled mats of tule ( Schoenoplectus acutus or common tule). The groups also crafted boats of tule which they used to navigate the various waterways around the bay. Most of the tribes were believed to have practiced some form of the Northern California Kuksu religion, which often featured rites of passages and village medicine men.

The major change for the Muwekma Ohlone people came when the Spanish colonized the Bay Area. Although records are scarce, we know that some Ohlone people willingly converted but a sizable majority were forced to convert. The Spanish created a powerful mission system based around Mission San Francisco De Asis (Mission Dolores) and used the native Ohlone people as manual labor. The Missions were extremely strict and once a native was baptized they were essentially property of the church and couldn't leave the mission without explicit permission. The Missions essentially destroyed the native peoples culture and turned them into slaves who were at the mercy of the Spanish colonizers. If you'd like to read more about the missions, feel free to read our article outlining the history of the Mission Dolores.

Tragically, the Ohlone people were nearly wiped out from disease, warfare and colonization from European immigrants. In the 20 th century the tribes finally rallied against the federal government and struggled for years to gain basic recognition. The federal government continued to disenfranchise and demoralize the tribe with acts intended to culturally and physically destroy them. A prime example occurred in the 1950s when the Ohlone tribal council supposedly received $150 dollars for the value of 8.5 million acres of land from the federal government. And it wasn't until 1996 that the group was somewhat recognized in a 'previous unambiguous federal recognition' which granted them some rights as an American tribe.
Today, there are small segments of the Ohlone people that still live in the Bay Area and continue to fight to keep their culture alive. Most of the tribes continue to preserve and revitalize their cultural history through education, restoration of their native languages, and the practice of cultural storytelling.

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A Brief History Of The Muwekma Ohlone People

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'Makkin Mak Muwekma Wolwoolum, 'Akkoy Mak-Warep, Manne Mak Hiswi!' 'We Are Muwekma Ohlone, Welcome To Our Land, Where We Are Born' One of the most unfortunate aspects of the American status quo is the constant ignorance about the people who lived in North America before western settlers crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

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Location: Central California coast (Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito Counties)

Language: Penutian family

Population:
1770 estimate: 7,000
1910 Census: not known

The people included within the Costanoan (also known as Ohlone) group actually spoke at least eight different languages and lived in about 50 separate tribelets, or groups of villages. The Costanoan people left many shell mounds along the ocean and bays. Explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno met some of these people in 1602 along the Monterey coast. Seven Spanish missions were built in Costanoan territory between 1770 and 1797.

SETTLEMENTS

Costanoan territory extended along the Pacific coast from San Francisco Bay south to Point Sur, and inland to the coast range of mountains. Each of the many tribelets held a certain area. A tribelet was led by a headman (actually, either a man or woman) who inherited the position from the old headman, but only with the consent of the people. The headman directed ceremonies, hosted visitors, and planned the hunting and food gathering activities, together with a council of village elders. Costanoan headmen may have had assistants, known as speakers, to help them.

The name Costanoan comes from the Spanish Costaños, meaning coast people. The early people did not use the term, but rather called themselves the people in their own language, which differed from group to group.
HOUSES
Most Costanoans made their houses with a round framework of poles covered with bunches of grass, tule reeds, or ferns. The thatch was tied on with flexible willow branches. A fireplace was in the middle of the house. Some Costanoans made their houses from slabs of redwood and redwood bark, leaned together in a cone shape. Even permanent houses did not last long. Every year or two the old houses were burned down and new ones built.

The largest village in each tribelet probably had an assembly house or dance house in the middle of the village. Some of these may have been simply round enclosures with fences made of brush. Others had domed roofs of thatch. Some were large enough to hold 200 people.

Small sweathouses were made by digging into the banks of a stream and covering the entrance with brush. Both men and women used the sweathouse.
FOOD
Because of their location near the ocean, the Costanoans depended on shellfish such as mussels and abalone for food. Sea lions were hunted along the beach, and if a whale was washed ashore, the meat was taken. Steelhead, salmon, sturgeon, and lamprey eels were caught in the rivers using dip and seine nets and fish traps. Another method was to build bonfires along the river at night, which attracted the fish to come close enough to be speared.

Waterfowl such as ducks and geese were caught with nets; quail were taken in traps; other birds were brought down by throwing a bola (pieces of bone tied to a string). The list of animals eaten by the Costanoans includes deer, grizzly bear, elk, antelope, mountain lion, dog, skunk, raccoon, rabbit, squirrel, woodrat, mouse and mole. Reptiles and insects (grasshoppers, caterpillars, wasps) were also eaten.

Acorns were an important plant food for the Costanoans, though in the villages closest to the coast, seeds were more plentiful than acorns. Seeds from various plants were roasted on hot coals. Four kinds of oak trees (coast live oak, valley oak, tanbark oak, black oak) grew in this area. Other nuts that were eaten were from the buckeye, laurel, and hazel trees. Berries, wild grapes, roots (including wild onion and wild carrot), clover, and thistles added to the diet. A sweet drink was made from the berries of the manzanita bush.
CLOTHING
Costanoan women wore two-piece aprons. A small front apron was made of tule reed or grass, braided and fastened to a waist cord. A larger back apron was made of deer or sea otter skin. Men and boys usually did not wear any clothing. In cold weather, men and women both used robes made of animal skins or duck feathers. Sometime the men put a layer of mud on their body, which kept them warm. Costanoans did not wear anything on their feet nor on their heads. Both men and women wore their hair long, but women had their hair cut across their forehead in bangs. Men sometimes braided their hair or tied it up with a rawhide thong. Tattooing was done on the face, forehead, and arms. Earrings, nose rings, and necklaces were made of olivella and abalone shells, and of feathers.
TOOLS
To cross San Francisco Bay, the people used rafts made of tule reeds. Bundles of reeds were bound together to make a canoe-shaped raft. The men used paddles with blades at both ends to move the raft. Stone anchors may have been used with the rafts.

Baskets made by the Costanoans were mostly of the twined type, such as were made by northern California groups. Willow, rush, tule, and pieces of roots were twined to form the baskets, which were decorated with shells, feathers, and woodpecker scalps. Baskets were important for gathering, storing, and cooking food. One type of basket was used to beat the seeds from plants. Others were used as traps to catch fish and small animals, as baby cradles, water jugs, and mush bowls.

Cord and string were made from the fibers of the milkweed, nettle, and hemp plants. From the cord, nets were made for use in fishing and hunting. Bows and arrows were also used in hunting. The bows were backed with sinew (animal tendon) and had bowstrings made of sinew. Arrows had three feathers and tips made of stone or bone. Hunters carried their arrows in quivers made of fox skin.

Stone was used to make tools for pounding and grinding. A type of rock called chert was found in Costanoan territory. Obsidian (volcanic glass) was gotten in trade from groups to the north. Both stone and wooden mortars and pestles were used to grind acorns and seeds.
TRADE
The Costanoans had clamshell beads which were used as money by many early California groups. These pieces of shell were shaped into disks, holes were punched, and the disks were strung on strings. They could be worn as necklaces as well as used in trade. The Costanoans traded mussels, abalone shells and dried abalone meat, and salt to the Yokuts who lived in the great valley east of the coast. From the Yokuts they got piñon nuts. The Costanoans may also have supplied some hunting bows and salt to the Plains and Sierra Miwok. The Miwok likely paid for these items with clamshell beads.
CEREMONIES
A Costanoan celebration of the sun included prayers and offerings of seeds and shells, along with the blowing of smoke toward the sky. Other offerings were made in the hope of having good hunting and fishing. Feathers on sticks were used as charms. Offerings of feathers, food, and strips of rabbitskin were attached to the tops of poles.

Many dances were done by the Costanoans, some by men only and some by women only. Feathered headdresses were worn by dancers, who painted their faces and bodies with white and red dye.

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Ohlone and Coastanoan Indians - Clarendon Lab - 3/4/5

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Location: Central California coast (Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito Counties) Language: Penutian family Population: 1770 estimate: 7,000 1910 Census: not known The people included within the Costanoan (also known as Ohlone) group actually spoke at least eight different languages and lived in about 50 separate tribelets, or groups of villages.

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Native American languages Native American cultures Native American art
Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Mojave Indian tribe for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to visit ourMojave language andculture pages for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Mojave pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

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What are Mojave arts and crafts like?
Mojave artists are famous for their fine

Mojave Tribe

Mojave is pronounced "mo-hah-vee." The spelling Mojave comes from Spanish, and the spelling Mohave comes from English. Both are used today, although the tribe officially uses the spellingMojave. This name is a shortened form of their name for themselves in their own language,Hamakhaave, which means "beside the water."

The Mojave are natives of southwesternArizona and southeasternCalifornia.

The Mojaves live on two separatereservations. An Indian reservation is land that belongs to a tribe and is under their control. One of these reservations, the Fort Mojave Reservation in Arizona, is only home to Mojave Indians. The other one, the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona and California, is shared by members of several local tribes. Each of these reservations has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Mojaves are also US citizens and must obey American law.

In the past, each Mojave village was ruled by its own chief, who was similar to a mayor. Village chiefs were chosen in religious ceremonies based on the visions they had. Today, the two Mojave tribes are led by tribal councils elected by all the citizens of the tribe.

Almost all Mojave people speak English today, but some of them, especially elders also speak their nativeMojave language. Mojave is a complex language with many long words. If you'd like to know a Mojave word that's not too hard to say, "kwichkamaduum" (sounds a little like kwitch-kah-mah-doom) is a friendly greeting in Mojave. You can also read a Mojave picture glossaryhere.

Here is an article on Mojave history and culture written by theFort Mojave Indian Tribe. On their site you can find information about the Mojave people in the past and today.

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They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Mojave children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play in their daily lives, just like colonial children. But they did havedolls, toys, and games to play. Mojave people were known as excellent swimmers and runners, and Mojave kids liked to swim in the rivers and compete at footraces. A Mojave mother traditionally carried a young child in acradleboard on her back. Here is a website with pictures of cradleboards and otherIndian baby carriers.

Mojave husbands and wives worked together to farm their fields. Men planted and watered the crops, and women harvested them. Mojave women did most of the cooking and child care, and men sometimes went to war to protect their families. Both genders took part in storytelling, music and artwork, and traditional medicine.

Mojave people built two different types of houses. Close to the Colorado River, the Mojaves lived in thatched huts raised off the ground with stilts, to protect against summer flooding. Further from the river, Mojave people built sturdierearthen houses, which are made of a wooden frame packed with clay. The thick earth walls kept this kind of house cool in the heat and warm in the cold, making it good shelter in the desert.

Mojave people do not live in these old-fashioned dwellings today, any more than other Americans live in log cabins. Mojave families live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.

Originally, Mojave people didn't wear much clothing-- men wore onlyloincloths and women wore knee-length skirts. Shirts were not necessary in Mojave culture, but the Mojaves sometimes wore rabbit-skin robes or ponchos at night when the weather became cooler. After Europeans arrived, the Mojaves began to adapt some Mexican fashions such as cotton blouses and colorful blanket shawls. Unlike most Native American tribes, the Mojaves never wore moccasins. They either went barefoot or wore sandals. Here are some photos and links aboutIndian clothes in general.

The Mojaves did not wearwar-bonnets like the Plains Indians. Mojave men twisted their hair intohair rolls, which looked a little like dreadlocks. Sometimes they would wind these hair rolls up around their heads or attach eagle feathers to them. Mojave women wore their hair long and straight. The Mojaves worefacial tattoos and also painted their faces and bodies for special occasions. They used different colors and patterns for war paint, religious ceremonies, and festive decoration. Many Mojave people also painted horizontal white or yellow stripes on their hair.

Today, Mojave people wear modern clothes like jeans instead of loincloths... and they only wear traditional regalia for special occasions like a dance.

No--the Mojave Indians weren't coastal people, and rarely traveled by river. Occasionally they used rafts, but more often, they just walked. There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe. Once Europeans brought horses to America, the Mojaves could travel more quickly than before.

What was Mojave food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Mojaves were farming people. They planted crops of corn, beans, and pumpkins. Mojave men also hunted rabbits and small game and fished in the rivers, while women gathered nuts, fruits, and herbs. Favorite Mojave recipes included baked beans, hominy, and flat breads made from corn and bean flour. Here is a website with more information aboutAmerican Indian agriculture.

Mojave hunters used bows and arrows, and fishermen used nets and wooden fish traps. In war, Mojave men fired their bows or fought with clubs or spears. Some Mojave warriors used leather shields to protect themselves from enemy archers. Here is a website with pictures and information aboutNative American Indian weapons.

What other Native Americans did the Mojave tribe interact with?

The Mojaves traded regularly with neighboring tribes, particularly Southern California tribes like theWhat kinds of stories do the Mojaves tell?
There are lots of traditional Mojave legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Mojave Indian culture. Here is a Mojave story aboutCahuilla and Mission Indians. They especially liked to trade corn and beans for shell beads from the Pacific coast, which they used to make jewelry before glass beads arrived from Europe. The Mojaves also fought wars with some of their neighbors. TheMaricopa andPima tribes were frequent enemies.
What about Mojave religion?
Sorry, but we cannot help you with religious information. Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about the
coiled pottery andbeaded jewelry. Mojave women were especially known for making intricated beaded collars to wear around their necks. Here is a picture of aCan you recommend a good book for me to read?
You may enjoyMojave beaded collar.

the creation of the world. Here's a website where you can read more aboutMojave mythology.How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organization

Mojave religion or this site aboutIndian religions in general.

And It Is Still That Way, a book of legends from various Arizona Indian tribes including the Mojave tribe. If you want to know more about Mojave culture and history, two good choices areMojave Native Americans andThe Mojave of California and Arizona. .You can also browse through our reading list of recommendedAmerican Indian books in general.

here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2015.

Thanks for your interest in the Mojave Indian people and their language!

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Mojave Indian Tribe
An overview of the Mojave people, their language and history.

Mojave Language Resources
Mojave language samples, articles, and indexed links.

Mojave Culture and History Directory
Related links about the Mojave tribe past and present.

Mohave Indian Words
Mojave Indian vocabulary lists.

Return to our American Indian websites
Return to our menu of Indian tribes of North America

Native American genealogy Native names Native poetry

Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?

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Facts for Kids: Mojave Indians (Mojaves)

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Native American languages Native American cultures Native American art Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Mojave Indian tribe for school or home-schooling reports.

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Information and facts about the Mojave Indian Tribe from the Southwest region of the United States.

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Clans, Great Chiefs, Dreams, and The Center Of Existence
By: Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
The land of the Mojave, the most northern of the Yuman tribes, stretched from Black Canyon to the Picacho Mountains below today's Parker Dam, straddling the Colorado River.

In the 16th Century, the time the Spanish arrived in the territory, the Mojaves were the largest concentration of people in the Southwest. The people who made up the Mojave Tribe lived in three groups - the northern Matha lyathum lived from Black Canyon to the Mojave Valley; the central Hutto-pah inhabited the central Mojave Valley; the territory of the southern Kavi lyathum extended from the Mojave Valley to below Needles Peaks.

The Mojaves live within a clan system that was given to them in First Time by Mastamho. They were named for things above the Earth - the sun, clouds and birds: and for things of the Earth and below the Earth. Mastamho gave the Mojaves 22 patrilinear clans (today that number is reduced to 18), and the children took the name of their father's clan, though only women used the clan name.

A hereditary chief, called the aha macav pina ta'ahon, along with leaders from the three regional groups of the Mojave, governed the people, but only with their continued support and approval.

The Mojaves were a people of dreams and visions. The dreams, su'mach, were viewed as the source of knowledge. Through them the dreamer could return to the time of creation where the origin of all things would be revealed. Great dreams and visions were related to the tribe as Great Tellings and Sings. They shared the history and legends of the people, deeds of bravery and war, magic and heroes.

And through sumach a'hot, a person was given a gift to do one thing better than others, or called upon to receive a gift of knowledge to know how to cure or treat a special kind of illness. A person called to receive such a gift had to go through much fasting and other trials, sometimes not passing the test and remaining like ordinary people. For those who passed such a test, the Mojaves say of them, "sumach a'hot," they are gifted.

For the Aha Macav, the river was the center of existence. They practiced a dry farming method, relying on the regular overflow of the Colorado River to irrigate crops planted along the banks. Preparation was painstaking; trees were felled, brush cleared. After planting, there was constant weeding and watching for pests. They supplemented this with wild seeds and roots, especially mesquite beans, game and fish taken from the river with traps and nets.

Traders, Potters The Afterlife
The Mojave could be a fierce people willing to protect their land, and willing to venture far from it. They traveled to the Pacific Coast, becoming proficient traders. They exchanged with coastal tribes surplus crops for goods they desired and valued, such as shells.

And back along the banks of the river, they made pottery from sedimentary clay and crushed sandstone. The material was coiled into shape, dried, painted and fired in either open pits or rudimentary kilns. They created pots, bowls, ladles and dishes decorated with geometric designs. And the women took the crafts further by making unique pottery dolls for the children, dressing and decorating them like people, complete with human hair.

The art of tattoo was important to the Mojave. They tattooed their faces with lines and dots - a cosmetic, fashionable practice.

And at death, the Mojaves used cremation to enter the spirit world. The property and belongings of the deceased were placed on a pyre along with the body, to accompany the spirits. Mourners often contributed their own valuables as a showing of love. The names of the dead were never again spoken

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Mojave Tribe: Culture - Mojave National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

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Clans, Great Chiefs, Dreams, and The Center Of Existence By: Fort Mojave Indian Tribe The land of the Mojave, the most northern of the Yuman tribes, stretched from Black Canyon to the Picacho Mountains below today's Parker Dam, straddling the Colorado River.

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Native American language Native American cultures What's new on our site today!
As a complement to our Mojave language information, here is our collection of indexed links about the Mojave tribe and their society. Please note that Mojaves and other American Indians are living people with a present and a future as well as a past. Mojave history is interesting and important, but the Mojave Indians are still here today, too, and we try to feature modern writers as well as traditional folklore, contemporary art as well as museum pieces, and issues and struggles of today as well as the tragedies of yesterday. Suggestions for new links are always welcome.

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Our Mojave Websites
Mojave Language:
Information and language learning materials from the Mojave Indian language.
Mojave Facts for Kids:
Questions and answers about Mojave culture.
Mojave Legends:
Collection of Mojave Indian legends and folktales.

Mojave Tribal and Community Websites
Fort Mojave Indian Tribe:
Official homepage of the Mojave Nation.
Colorado River Indian Tribes:
Homepage of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, which Mojave people share with the Chemehuevi, Navajo and Hopi.
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation:
Homepage of the Fort McDowell Tribe, which Mojave people share with the Yavapai and Apache.

Mojave Lifestyle and Tradition
The Mohave Indians:
Curtis' early 20th-century ethnography of the Mojave tribe.
Mojave Native Americans
History and old photographs of the Mojave Indians.
Mohave Legends:
Collection of Mojave Indian legends and folktales.
Mohave Authors Fort Mojave Authors:
Mohave writers, their lives and work.
Mohave Tribe:
Article from the Encyclopedia of North American Indians on Mojave Indian culture and history.
Sacho Seasoning For Steak:
Mojave Indian recipe.
Fort McDowell Flag Flag of the Colorado River Indian Tribes:
Mojave tribal flags.
Four Directions: Mojave:
Timeline and links about Mojave history.

Books for sale on the Mojaves
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links
Mojave Pottery, Mojave People:
Color photographs and history of Mojave Indian art.
The People: Indians of the American Southwest:
Interesting book on the culture of the Mojave Indians and other Southwestern tribes.
Indian Books:
Evolving list of books about Mojaves and American Indians in general.

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Links, References, and Additional Information
Mojave People Mohave: Mojave Tribe:
Encyclopedia articles on the Mojave tribes.
Pueblo Mohave Los Mojave:
Information about the Mojave tribe in Spanish.
Mojave Indians Mojaves:
Mojave links.

Back to the list of U.S. Indian tribes
Back to our Native American website for kids

American Indian Houses Indian Names Native American Poems Tribal Tattoo Art

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Native American language Native American cultures What's new on our site today! As a complement to our Mojave language information, here is our collection of indexed links about the Mojave tribe and their society. Please note that Mojaves and other American Indians are living people with a present and a future as well as a past.

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American Indian language American Indian people American Indian arts
Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Miwok tribe for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to visit our mainMiwok website for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Miwok pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

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What kinds of stories do the Miwoks tell?
There are lots of traditional Miwok legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Miwok Indian culture. Here is a story about

What about Miwok religion?
Spirituality and religion were important parts of Miwok life, and some people continue to practice traditional beliefs today. It is respectful to avoid imitating religious rituals for school projects since some Miwok people care about them deeply. You can read and learn about them, however. You can visit this site to learn more about
Miwok Tribe

Miwok is pronounced "mee-wuck." That means "the people" in their own language.

The Miwoks are original people of CentralCalifornia. Most Miwok people still live there today.

Most Miwok people live onrancherias, which are parcels of land in the state of California that are similar to reservations. There are five different Miwok rancherias, each with its own tribal leadership. Not all Miwok people today live on these rancherias, however. Some live in intertribal communities with members of other tribes, such as the Round Valley Reservation. Others live in Northern California towns.

In the past, each Miwok band was led by a chief. Miwok chiefs were almost always men. In some bands the chiefdom was hereditary, while in others, the chief was chosen by the clan elders. Today, each Miwok rancheria is governed by a tribal council elected by its residents. There is no centralized government controlling the different Miwok bands, and there never has been.

The Miwok speak English today. In the past, they spoke their nativeMiwok language. Some Miwok elders still remember words from this language, and there are younger people who are interested in learning to speak their traditional language again. If you'd like to know some Miwok words, here is aMiwok picture glossary you can look at.

Here's a link to theCalifornia Valley Miwok Tribe's homepage. On their site you can find information about the Miwok people in the past and today.

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They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Miwok children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But they did have toys and games. One popular Miwok game wasshinny, which is an athletic sport similar to lacrosse and rugby. Younger children played a skipping stone game similar to jacks. Miwok girls often played withdolls. Like many California Indians, Miwok mothers traditionally carried their babies inbasket cradles on their backs.

The Miwoks lived in tule houses. Usually these houses were made from a cone-shaped frame of wooden poles placed over a basement-like hole dug into the ground. Then the frame would be covered with mats woven from tule reeds, and packed with a mound of earth over it to keep it well insulated. Because they were partially underground, Miwok houses appeared smaller than they really were. Here are some pictures of differentIndian house types. Today, most Miwoks live in modern houses and apartments, just like you.

Miwok people didn't wear much clothing. Miwok men generally went naked, and Miwok women wore only short grass skirts. In mountain villages, though, women sometimes wore buckskin dresses instead and the men wore leggings and deerskin shirts. The Miwoks woremoccasins on their feet while hunting or traveling, though they usually went barefoot in their own villages. Here are some photos and links aboutNative American Indian costume in general.

The Miwoks didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. For dances and ceremonies, Miwok men would wear special headbands made of flicker feathers, likethis. The Miwoks did paint their faces for special occasions, but not for everyday life. They also woreNative American tattoos on their faces and necks. Miwok men wore shell jewelry in their pierced noses, and both genders wore earrings and beaded necklaces.

Today, some Miwok people still wear moccasins or beaded jewelry, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of grass skirts.

Yes--the Miwok tribe madedugout canoes by hollowing out large logs from pine trees. They used these canoes to travel and fish on the rivers. Here is a website ofdug-out canoe pictures. Canoeing is still popular among California Indians, though few people carve a dugout canoe by hand anymore. Today, of course, Miwok people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

What was Miwok food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Miwoks werehunter-gatherers. Miwok men hunted deer and small game and caught fish in the rivers and lakes. Miwok women gathered acorns and ground them into meal to make bread and fruits, as well as collecting berries, nuts, and other plants. Here is a website with more information aboutNative American recipes.

Miwok hunters used bows and arrows and snares. Miwok fishermen used nets and spears. Miwok warriors usually fired arrows at their enemies. Here is a website with pictures and information aboutIndian archery.

Miwok artists are known for their finebasket art. Here are pictures of someMiwok baskets.

What other Native Americans did the Miwok tribe interact with?

The different Miwok villages traded and intermarried primarily with one another, but they also had friendly relations with many of their neighbors. The closest traditional ally of the Sierra Miwok was theMaidu tribe, and the closest ally of the Coast Miwok was theOhlone tribe.
Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
If you want to know more about Miwok culture and history, two interesting sources for kids are
the origin of thunder. Here's a website where you can read more aboutMiwok myths.

Miwok religious traditions, or this site aboutNative Indian beliefs in general.
How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organization
Miwok andEastern Miwok Tribe. Younger readers may enjoyLord of the Animals, a picture book based on a Miwok Indian myth. Two good books for kids on California Indians in general areCalifornia Native Peoples andNative Ways ; a more in-depth book for older readers isTribes of California. You can also browse through our recommendations of books byIndian writers. Disclaimer: we are an Amazon affiliate and our website earns a commission if you buy a book through one of these links. Most of them can also be found in a public library, though!

here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2020.

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American Indian language American Indian people American Indian arts Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Miwok tribe for school or home-schooling reports.

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This article contains interesting facts, pictures and information about the life of the Miwok Native American Indian Tribe of the California cultural group.

The Miwok Tribe
Summary and Definition: The Miwok tribe were a California tribe of Native American Indians who were hunter-gathers and fishers. They lived in north-central California, from the Pacific coast to the west slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Miwok tribe are highly distinctive due to the tattoos and paint they used to adorn their bodies.

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Facts about the Miwok Native Indian Tribe
This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Miwok Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Miwok tribe live, what did they wear and what food did they eat? Discover what happened to the Miwok tribe with facts about their wars and history.

What language did the Miwok tribe speak?
The Miwok tribe spoke in seven different dialects of the Penutian language and were comprised of three groups. The Coast Miwok, the Lake Miwok and the Sierra Miwok.

The Coast Miwok lived along the Pacific Coast (north of San Francisco from present-day Sausalito to Duncan's Point)

The Lake Miwok who lived east and south of Clear Lake along the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers

The Sierra Miwok, who the largest group, lived to the western slope on the foothills and along the rivers of the Sierra Nevada

What was the lifestyle and culture of the Miwok tribe?
The lifestyle of the Miwok tribe varied according to the natural resources of their location. The name Miwok derives from their word 'Miwuk' meaning person. They were neighbors to the Wappo and Washoe tribes, with whom they frequently traded. Their tribal lands were subject to various incursions by the Spanish, Mexicans and finally the Americans. The people watched as their tribal lands fell to the Spanish who wanted to convert the tribe to Christianity and enslave them, the Mexicans who forced the people to work on their farms and the Americans who moved west along the California Trail who were joined by the Gold Rush settlers. The Miwok people were decimated by the diseases brought by the invaders and subjected to atrocities. Following the short-lived Mariposa Indian War (1850) those who survived were forced on to various reservations.

Where did the Miwok tribe live?
The Miwok are people of the California Native American cultural group. The location of their tribal homelands are shown on the map in north-central California. The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Miwok tribe.

Land: Sea, coastal regions, mountains, rivers and lakes

Climate: Mild temperate climate

Natural Resources: Oak trees, acorns, buckeye nuts, mushrooms, hazel nuts, bulbs, roots and grasses

Types of housing or shelters: Types of housing or shelters: Wickiups cedar bark shelters and pit houses

Land animals: The animals included deer, elk, jack- rabbits, squirrels, quail, mountain sheep and black bear

Sea Mammals: Seals, sea lions and sea otters

Insects: Crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars and dried locusts were all eaten to supplement the diet

What did the Miwok tribe live in? Cedar Bark Tepee : During the summer the semi-nomadic California Miwok tribe lived in temporary pointed, conical cedar bark shelters, constructed using several poles tied together that were covered with bark, sticks over the framework. The interior Miwok also lived in temporary lean-tos, or pointed cedar bark shelters, made of bark over sapling framework.

Winter Pit Houses: The more permanent winter homes of the Miwok consisted of villages of semi-subterranean winter homes that were built up to 15 feet into the ground. The Miwok Californian pit house was constructed of earth and brush with a pitched roof that was completely covered in earth. The winter houses had a central fire pit and a smoke hole to allow smoke to escape and also let light and air in. Entrance was accessed via ladder on top of the roof of the Miwok Pit House.

What food did the Miwok tribe eat?
The food that the Miwok tribe ate varied according to the natural resources that were available to them. Their food included staple diet of acorns which they ground into acorn meal that were stored for up to one year, ground into acorn meal and leached to make soup, cakes and bread. The Miwok hunted deer (venison), black bear, elk, fowl, and small game such as jack-rabbits and quail. Fish was also another important Miwok food source, particularly salmon, but also included trout and shellfish. The Miwok hunter-gathers collected other foods including buckeye nuts, mushrooms, various greens, roots, bulbs, and berries. Most foods were dried and stored for use during the winter months. Coastal groups of Miwok hunted for sea mammals and considered dried seaweed a delicacy.

What weapons did the Miwok use?
The weapons used by the Miwok included spears, slings, knives, bows and arrows and clubs.

What transportation did the Miwok use?
The Eastern Miwok used a tule balsa on navigable rivers, the canoe style of boat was unheard of. Log rafts were used on the coast.

What clothes did the Miwok men wear?
The clothes worn by the Miwok men were limited to loin cloths woven from grass or bark fibers. In the winter months warm clothing was needed that were made from the hides of animals such as deer (buckskin), elk, squirrel, rabbit and wildcats. The Miwok winter clothing and garments included fur robes, kilts or aprons, and leggings. They wore one-piece moccasins with long tops that were wrapped about the calf, but went barefoot in the warmer weather.

What clothes did the Miwok women wear?
The type of clothes worn by the Miwok women included front and back aprons made of shredded willow bark. Their dress fell to calf length and were belted. Special clothes were strung with ornaments, tassels, shells and quills. Twined tule sandals or moccasins covered their feet and in the winter they wore fur robes to keep out the cold.

The Miwok Headdresses
The ceremonial crown-style headdresses of the Miwok, as seen in the above picture, consisted of a flicker quill headband that covered the forehead and was tied at the back. The Flicker headbands were made from flicker the longest and narrowest wing feathers. These dark pink or yellow feathers were placed side by side and sewn together to form a long headband. These were bordered by dark brown feathers and attached to the head with string. Feather hair plumes were added as a separate form of decoration to complete the Miwok headdress.

Miwok Tatoos and Body Paint
Most Miwok people also wore ear and nose ornaments as well as face and body paint, that was similar to the Mojave tribe. They also practiced tattooing. Their striking face and body paint made use of black and white coloring often applied in horizontal lines, as can be seen by the above picture. The white paint color was obtained from chalk deposits and charcoal was easy to make resulting in distinctive white and black face and body painting.

Miwok History Timeline: What happened to the Miwok tribe?
The following history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks of the Miwok people. The Miwok timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe.
Miwok History Timeline

1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explores California and claims the land for Spain

1579: Sir Francis Drake claims California for England and encounters the coastal Miwok people. Chaplain Fletcher with the Sir Francis Drake expedition wrote: "They are of a free and loving nature, without guile or treachery."

1800's: The Spanish began raiding Miwok villages for converts forcing them to work as slaves in Spanish missions

1812: The Franciscan Mission San Jose is established and large numbers of Miwok are forcibly moved to the mission (1812 - 1833)

1821: Mexico wins its independence from Spain and takes control of California. Large numbers of Miwok people are indentured to Mexicans

1833: Cholera and Malaria epidemics kill many Miwok people

1836: Mexican Salvador Vallejo was made commandant general of California

1838: Smallpox epidemic (1838-1839) ravages the tribe

1838: The Alta California missions were closed as religious and farming communes - some Miwok return to their homelands

1841: The California Trail opens

1840: John Sutter (February 15, 1803 - June 18, 1880) a German-born Swiss pioneer of California establishes Sutter's Fort

1846: South Emigrant Road aka the Applegate Trail opens

1848: California is passed to the US with the Treaty of Guadalupe

1848: January 24, 1848: Gold is discovered at Sutter's timber Mill starting the California Gold rush

1848: The white settlers and gold prospectors bring more diseases to the Native Indians who lived in the surrounding areas of the westward trails and start a series of conflicts and massacres against the Miwok and other tribes

1848: Native Indians were forced off their lands and made to work in mines

1850: California was admitted into the Union

1850: The Mariposa Indian War (1850), led by under "Major" James D. Savage against Chief Tenaya, was a final show of resistance by the Miwok and the Yokuts against white incursions and atrocities

1851: Treaties were agreed reserving lands for the Native Indians of California, but they were never honored.

1856: Miwok people were rounded up and forced onto the Mendocino and the Round Valley reservations

1870: The Bole-Maru and the Earth Lodge Religion were religious revitalization movements of tribes in north-central California that grew out of the Ghost Dance movement involving the dreams of medicine people

1906: The 18 treaties of 1851 were "rediscovered" and 54 rancherias were established

The Miwok reservations were established at Jackson Rancheria (1893), Tuolomne Rancheria (1910) Sheep Ranch Rancheria (1916) and Middletown Rancheria (1990)

Miwok History Timeline
Miwok

Interesting Facts and information about the way the Miwok people lived

The clothes worn by men and women

Description of the homes and the type of food the Miwok would eat

Fast Facts and info about the Miwok

Names of famous chiefs and leaders

Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Miwok Native American Indians

Pictures and Videos of Native American Indians and their Tribes
The Miwok Tribe was one of the most famous tribes of Native American Indians. Discover the vast selection of pictures on the subject of the tribes of Famous Native Americans such as the Miwok nation. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes, such as the Miwok tribe, that can be used as a really useful educational resource for kids and children of all ages. We hope you enjoy watching the video - just click and play - a great social studies homework resource for kids .

Miwok - Kids - Cool, Fun Facts - Miwok Clothes - Clothing - Dresses - Headdresses - Homes - Shelters- Lives - Weapons - Legends - Miwok Food - Location - Miwok History - History Timeline - Kids - Info - Information - Famous - Kids - Children - Miwok Timeline - Teaching resource - Social Studies - Lifestyle - Culture - Teachers - Miwok Facts - Miwok Timeline - Kids - Interesting Facts - Info - Information - Pictures - Reference - Guide - Studies - Homework - Miwok Facts

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This article contains interesting facts, pictures and information about the life of the Miwok Native American Indian Tribe of the California cultural group. The Miwok Tribe Summary and Definition: The Miwok tribe were a California tribe of Native American Indians who were hunter-gathers and fishers.

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Location: Central California (Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Contra Costa Counties, northern Madera & San Joaquin Counties, southern Sacramento County)

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Coast Miwok Dancer

The men adopted many different techniques for fishing. Dip nets (bags of netting attached to wooden frames on a handle) were used to scoop up fish, and woven surf nets were used along the open beaches. Cone-shaped traps of woven gray willow were set up in creeks and mouths of rivers. With hook and bait one could successfully catch halibut and rockfish year-round.

Hunting by use of traps and bow and arrow supplied the Coast Miwok with meat, fur and tools. Traps were used to capture such game as quail, acorn woodpeckers and rabbits, which were highly valued for their fur and meat. Deer were usually hunted with bow and arrow, and provided many necessary items. Antler tips were used for shaping arrowheads, sinew (muscle tendon) was used to fasten points to arrow shafts and leg bones were made into awls (needles used in basketmaking) and hair pins. In this way, the Coast Miwok wasted little of the animals they hunted.

In 1953, Congress passed Public Law 280, which turned over law enforcement on California reservations to state and county agencies. By 1958, the federal government "terminated" the recognition of Coast Miwok people as well as many other tribes.

After over 40 years, the Coast Miwok are once again a federally recognized tribe. Legislation was signed in December 2000 granting the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, formerly known as the Federated Coast Miwok, full rights and privileges afforded federally recognized tribes. Currently there are almost 500 members registered with the tribe.

As you explore Kule Loklo, try to imagine the lives of the people who lived so intimately with the land. In the old days, a village like Kule Loklo would have been a busy place... acorns being pounded into meal by women with stone mortar and pestle, basket weavers chatting as they worked under the sun shade, cooking fires smoking with mussels baking or deer roasting, children laughing and playing , new dancers learning songs and steps in the dance house, hunters flaking obsidian for knife blades.

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Coast Miwok at Point Reyes - Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

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The men adopted many different techniques for fishing. Dip nets (bags of netting attached to wooden frames on a handle) were used to scoop up fish, and woven surf nets were used along the open beaches. Cone-shaped traps of woven gray willow were set up in creeks and mouths of rivers.

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Location: Central California (Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Contra Costa Counties, northern Madera & San Joaquin Counties, southern Sacramento County)

Language: Penutian family

Population:
1770 estimate: 9,000
1910 Census: 670

Though they now share a name with the groups known as the Coast Miwok and Lake Miwok, the territory of this largest group of Miwok was separated from that of the Coast and Lake Miwok.

SETTLEMENTS

The Miwok, also called the Eastern Miwok, lived mostly along the foothills of the Sierras, and up into the mountains below the line of heavy winter snows. Northern branches of the group, known as the Plains Miwok and the Bay Miwok, lived along the Sacramento River and its delta. The Miwok considered themselves to belong to tribelets, or small groups of villages, of 100 to 500 people.

Each tribelet was led by a headman, who inherited the position from his father. The headman settled arguments and directed the hunting and food gathering. Young hunters supplied food for the headman, who was a wealthy person. To assist him there were speakers and messengers who made sure everyone knew what the headman decided. Each village within a tribelet had a speaker who was important as a sort of sub-chief.

Every thing and every person in the Miwok world was classed as either belonging to water or to land. Personal names often related to which group the person belonged. On the water side were such things as goose, frog, salmon, cloud, and ice, but also deer, antelope, coyote, rock, and sand. The land side included bear, fox, lizard, bluejay, fire, and drum.
HOUSES
In mountain areas, the Miwok house was made of layers of bark slabs leaning against each other in a cone shape. In the lower foothills and on the plains, the house was made around a frame of poles covered with bundles of grass or tule reeds, or with mats woven from tule reeds. In the center of the house was a fireplace and an earth oven. Pine needles covered the floor. Tule reed mats and animal skins were used for sitting and sleeping.

The largest building in each community was the assembly house, used for dances and other gatherings. A hole three to four feet deep was dug in the ground. The roof beams were held up by center posts and by the edge of the hole. In this way, a room 40 to 50 feet across could be made. The roof beams (which were also the upper walls) were connected by smaller branches, and then covered with layers of brush, pine needles, and earth. There was a smoke hole in the center of the roof, and a door at one side. The village sweathouse was made like the assembly house, but much smaller.
FOOD
The Sierra Miwok depended on deer as their main source of meat. For the Plains Miwok, elk and antelope were easier to get. Each group traveled to the other's area for hunting. Black bear and grizzly bear were hunted in the Sierras, though the Plains Miwok did not eat bear, fox or wildcat. Smaller animals like rabbits, beaver, squirrels, and woodrats were used as food, but not coyotes, skunks, owls, snakes or frogs. The Plains Miwok took salmon and sturgeon from the Sacramento delta waters. The Sierra Miwok caught trout in mountain streams. Fish and meat were cooked over an open fire, or roasted in the ashes of the fire. Earth ovens heated by stones were used to bake and steam food.

In the spring, the Miwok gathered green plants to eat fresh. They ate columbine, milkweed, wild pea, sheep sorrel, and many other greens. In the summer, many types of seeds were gathered. Roots and mushrooms were also eaten. In the fall, pine nuts and acorns ripened and fell from the trees. Seven types of acorns were gathered by the Miwok and stored in village granaries for use throughout the year. The granaries were round, as big as five feet across and 12 feet high. They were made by standing poles in a circle, and lacing grapevines and smaller poles through the frame, then lining the inside with grass, twigs and brush.
CLOTHING
Northern Sierra Miwok women wore a piece of deerskin wrapped around as a dress. In Central Miwok territory and among the Plains Miwok, the women wore a two-piece apron-type skirt made of deerskin, grasses, or shredded tule reeds. Miwok men wore a piece of deerskin around their hips. For added warmth in cold weather, both men and women used blankets or robes made from animal skins. Deer, bear, mountain lion, coyote, and rabbit skins were used to make robes.

Young children had their ears and noses pierced, and wore flowers as ear and nose ornaments. Adults wore beads, shells, bones, and feathers as ear and nose ornaments. Both men and women had tattoos, usually three lines running from the chin down the body. Hair nets were worn only by the village leaders, except at special ceremonies.
TOOLS
Bows and arrows were used in hunting and in warfare. The Sierra Miwok used cedar wood to make the bows, which were backed with layers of sinew (animal tendons). Pieces of antler were used to chip and shape the arrowheads. Also used in warfare was a spear with a tip made from obsidian (volcanic glass). No shields or body armor were used by the Miwok.

The Sierra and Plains Miwok used both the twining and coiling methods of making baskets. Young willow branches were used as the foundation for both types of baskets. Redbud fibers were wrapped around the willow coils in the coiled baskets. Coiled baskets took more time to make, and were used when the basket needed to be watertight. Twined baskets were used for carrying and as seed beaters.

Tule reeds that grew in marshy areas were woven together to make mats, used on the floors of houses. Bundles of tules were tied together around a frame made of willow poles to make a kind of canoe, used on the delta by the Plains Miwok. Wooden paddles were used to propel the canoes. In the mountains, rafts made from two logs tied together with vines were used for crossing streams.

String and cord were important in the making of nets which were used to catch fish, birds, and small animals. Fibers from the milkweed and hemp plants were rolled into string.
TRADE
Clamshell disks were used as money, though they were considered less valuable among the Miwok than among their neighbors to the north. Pieces of clamshell were shaped into small circles, holes bored in them, and strung on strings. Miwok men and women wore strings of clamshells as necklaces, and to show their wealth. Olivella shells and magnesite (stone) cylinders were also strung on strings and used in trade. The Sierra Miwok got salt and obsidian from groups on the east side of the Sierras, and shells from those living on the sea coast. Baskets and bows and arrows were traded between groups.
CEREMONIES
Some Miwok ceremonies were connected with religious practices. For these, special robes and feather headdresses were used. Other dances were held for fun and entertainment. Some Miwok dances included clowns called Wo'ochi who were painted white and represented coyotes. The Miwok also had the Uzumati or grizzly bear ceremony, where the dancer pretended to be a bear, with pieces of obsidian attached to his fingers as claws.

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Location: Central California (Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Contra Costa Counties, northern Madera & San Joaquin Counties, southern Sacramento County) Language: Penutian family Population: 1770 estimate: 9,000 1910 Census: 670 Though they now share a name with the groups known as the Coast Miwok and Lake Miwok, the territory of this largest group of Miwok was separated from that of the Coast and Lake Miwok.

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Native American language Native American people Native American arts
Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Pomo tribe for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to visit our mainPomo website for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Pomo pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

What kinds of stories do the Pomos tell?
There are lots of traditional Pomo legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Pomo Indian culture. Here is a story aboutSponsored Links

What about Pomo religion?
Spirituality and religion were important parts of Pomo life, and some people continue to practice traditional beliefs today. It is respectful to avoid imitating religious rituals for school projects since some Pomo people care about them deeply. You can read and learn about them, however. You can visit this site to learn more about

Pomo Tribe

Pomo is pronounced just the way it looks, "poh-moh." This probably came from a place name meaning "red earth," although it also sounds similar to the word for "dweller" in their language.

The Pomos are original people of NorthernCalifornia. Most Pomo people still live there today.

In the past, each Pomo band had its own chief. There was no centralized Pomo government, only a loose coalition among village chiefs. Today, the Pomos live on more than twenty differentrancherias, which are like tribal villages or small reservations under partial control of a tribe. Just as in the old days, each rancheria has its own government independent from the others. Not all Pomo people live on the rancherias, however. Some live in intertribal communities with members of other tribes, and others live in neighboring Northern California towns.

The Pomos speak English today. In the past, they spoke their nativePomo language. Some Pomo elders still remember words from this language, and there are younger people who are interested in learning to speak their traditional language again. If you'd like to learn an easy Pomo word, Chamay (pronounced chah-my) is a friendly greeting. Here is aPomo picture glossary you can look at.

Here's a link to theDry Creek Pomo Tribe's homepage. On their site you can find information about the Pomo people in the past and today.

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They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Pomo children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But they did have toys and games. One Pomo game was thehand game. Players held marked sticks behind their backs and gambled as they guessed the location of each stick. Another Pomo game istossle or shinny, which is an athletic sport similar to lacrosse and rugby. Traditionally, only men and boys played tossle or the stick game. Pomo girls often played withdolls. Like many California Indians, Pomo mothers traditionally carried their babies inbaby baskets. Here is a website of baby basket pictures.

The Pomos lived in reed houses. These houses were made from a cone-shaped frame of wooden poles, sometimes placed over a basement-like hole dug into the ground. Then the frame would be covered with long rushes or with mats woven from tule reeds. Because they were partially underground, Pomo houses often appeared smaller than they really were. Here are some pictures of different types ofIndian homes. Today, most Pomos live in modern houses and apartments, just like you.

Pomo people didn't wear much clothing. Pomo men generally went naked, and Pomo women wore only grass and deerskin skirts. In colder weather, men would wearleggings and women would wear shawls made of plant fiber. The Pomos woredeerskin moccasins on their feet while they were hunting or traveling, but usually went barefoot in their own villages. Here is a website with some aboutNative American clothing pictures.

The Pomos didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. For dances and ceremonies, Pomo men would wear special headbands made of flicker feathers, likethis. The Pomos painted their faces for dances and other special occasions, but not for everyday life. Women also woretribal tattoos on their faces. Both genders wore beaded necklaces, and Pomo men wore shell jewelry in their pierced noses as well.

Today, some Pomo people still wear moccasins or beaded jewelry, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of grass skirts.

No, the Pomo people did not often travel by boat, and when they did, they normally used rafts. A few Pomo bands did make an impressive type ofreed boat from tule rushes. Today, of course, Pomo people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

What was Pomo food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Pomos werehunter-gatherers. Pomo men hunted deer and small game, and depending on the band, sometimes caught fish. Pomo women gathered acorns and ground them into meal, as well as collecting berries, nuts, and other plants. Here is a website with more information aboutNative American foods.

Pomo hunters used bows and arrows. Pomo fishermen used spears, nets, and wooden fish traps. Pomo warriors usually fired arrows at their enemies, although sometimes they would duel each other hand-to-hand with war clubs. Here are pictures and information about theNative American bow and arrow and other traditional weapons.

Pomo artists are known for their finebaskets. Here is a picture of some beautifulbaskets by the Pomos and their neighbors.

What other Native Americans did the Pomo tribe interact with?

The most important Pomo allies, trading partners, and occasional enemies were other Pomo bands. Since there were many of them and they all had independent leadership, they interacted with one another often. The Pomos also traded frequently with the other tribes of California, even as far north as Oregon, and sometimes fought wars over territory with the Wintu and other neighbors.
Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
If you want to know more about Pomo culture and history, two interesting sources are
a girl who became a rattlesnake. Here's a website where you can read more aboutPomo legends.

Pomo religious traditions or this site aboutNative American traditions in general.How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organization

Pomo Indians of California and Their Neighbors andThe Pomo Indians. Two good books for kids on California Indians in general areCalifornia Native Peoples andNative Ways ; a more in-depth book for older readers isTribes of California. You can also browse through our recommendations ofAmerican Indian history books in general. Disclaimer: we are an Amazon affiliate and our website earns a commission if you buy a book through one of these links. Most of them can also be found in a public library, though!

here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2020.

Thanks for your interest in the Pomo Indian people and their language!

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An overview of the Pomo tribe, their language and history.

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Pomo Indian language samples, articles, and indexed links.

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Information about the Pomo Indians for students and teachers. Covers Pomo houses, food, weapons, tools, canoes, and customs.

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Pomo Tribe: Facts, Clothes, Food and History ***

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Check out this site for interesting facts about the Pomo tribe of California. Food, clothing, homes, weapons and culture of the Pomo. Interesting facts about the Pomo nation.

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The Pomo people are a linguistic branch of Native American people of Northern California. Their historic territory was on the Pacific Coast between Cleone and Duncans Point, and inland to Clear Lake. Two middens on the Headlands portion of the Fort Bragg Botanical Gardens attest to their local presence. The people called Pomo were originally linked by location, language, and other elements of culture. They were not socially or politically linked as a large unified "tribe." Instead, they lived in small groups ("bands"), linked by geography, lineage and marriage, and relied upon fishing, hunting and gathering for their food. They were few in number - 8,000 being the estimate of the highest number and that was in the late 1700's. Currently there are thought to be around 4,500 Pomo.

Small tribes or family groups of Pomo Indians were clustered from the Noyo River in Fort Bragg to south of Mendocino. Their territory was divided into Northern, Central, Southern and Southwestern Pomos. At the mouth of the Noyo River there was a small Pomo Indian Village called "Kadiu" in Pomo. The Pomo called the Noyo "Ol-hepech-kem" which means "tree foggy".

The Coast Yuki Indians lived in an area from the Noyo north to Ten Mile River and further north. The Pomo and the Coast Yuki were friendly with all of the neighboring tribes, the Huchnom inland from the coast, the Cahto, who were north and east of the Coast Yuki and more inland; and the Sinkyone, who were around the north and west of the Sinkyone range of hills. The sketch map left shows the distribution.

The Pomo were a peaceful people. Their small family groups or bands were well fed and adapted to the temperate climate. Their dress was simple. Women wore a fringed skirt or apron made of buckskin and if the weather demanded it a deer cape or blanket over their shoulders. Young men wrapped a fur around their hips and the old men were generally naked. In cold weather a deerskin served as a blanket.

For shelter the somewhat nomadic Pomo made Wikiups Though the Pomo Indians were migratory, they often stayed for extended periods wherever they dwelled. Here they would build elliptical shelters from indigenous materials that were in abundance, such as redwood branches and brushes and mud over a rough frame. You can see examples in the old photos, right and below.

For food the Pomo speared salmon with two-pronged harpoons as the salmon went upstream to spawn. They would catch salmon heading out to sea with a scoop net. Surf fish or smelt were netted in the receding ocean surf. Eels were caught on a bone gaff at night. Snares were set for deer and elk. Acorns, a staple of the Pomo, were not plentiful near the Noyo but there were edible seeds. They also gathered and ate wild greens, gnats, sap of the white pine, mushrooms, grasshoppers, rabbits, rats, squirrels. The women were the gatherers and the men the hunters and fishers.

Deer, elk, bear and birds furnished bones, hides and meat as well as ornaments of teeth, claws and feathers for clothing and tools. The pomo were makers of baskets of every size and shape for myriad uses. Their baskets beauty and craftsmanship make them highly prized today - see pictures below. The baskets designed for holding water were so tightly woven that their very large ones were used as boats, pushed by men, to carry women across rivers.

According to archeologists who have studied the layers of shells mounds left by the Indians, very little changed in the Indians food supply, way of living, their tools or migratory habits for at least 3,000 years before the white men came. The Pomo had a religion, a spoken language and lived in small bands governed by a chief. They respected the land for the existence that it gave them and took no more from it, killed no more animals than they needed to live.

A small, but excellent exhibit of their basket weaving skills may be found in the Mendocino County Museum in Willits.

The Lake County Museum in Lakeport contains an excellent collection Pomo artifacts including a canoe made of grass. Nearly 12,000 years ago, the Xa-Ben-Na-Po Band of Pomo Indians-whose descendants still live here in the Lakeport area today-called Lake County home, as well as Wintun, Wappo, and Lake Miwok Indians. Thousands of stone tools and more than 300 superb examples of Pomo basketry have been acquired by the museum since the 1930s. The main gallery of the museum showcases many artifacts and displays of Pomo culture.

The Grace Hudson Museum collections in Ukiah, have more than 30,000 inter-related objects, with significant holdings of Pomo Indian artifacts (particularly basketry) ethnographic field notes, unpublished manuscripts, historic photographs and the world's largest collection of Grace Hudson paintings. Grace Carpenter Hudson, daughter of Northern California pioneers was one of the West's most accomplished painters of Native Americans. Grace Hudson's story encompasses the westward movement, the conflict between Native Americans and white settlers, and the culture of the Pomo Indians of Northern California. Grace's more than 650 oil portraits of her Pomo Indian neighbors provide a unique contribution to Western art and one that will never be equaled. Her stunning and realistic portrayal of Pomo children became her passion, caught the eye of the public, and made her a national celebrity by the age of thirty. For more than forty years, Grace and her husband, Dr. John Hudson, a physician and ethnographer, dedicated their lives to the study and preservation of the Pomo Indian culture.

The Clarke Museum is in downtown Eureka. It is located in an old bank and the exhibits provide a fascinating insight to the early 1900's in and around Eureka. Of particular interest is a superb collection of baskets woven mostly by neighbors of the Pomo and some by the Pomo.

There are many books about the Pomo. Of the ones we have read there are three which gave us great insight into their lives. The first, "An Everyday History of Somewhere" by Ray Raphael, (ISBN 1-881102-25-4, published in 1974) explains how the Pomo saw their world in which they lived in peace with the earth taking only what they needed to live. The Pomo had a holistic view of life and this book makes one feel that maybe their life was a lot better than ours.

The second book, "Pomo Indian Basketry" by Samuel A. Barrett ISBN 0-936127-07-4, published in 1958) provides all the information one would ever want to know about Pomo Basketry. It is acknowledged to be the most complete and detailed study of a single Native American basketry tradition.

The third book is this one:

"Pomo Indians of California and Their Neighbors" by Vinson Brown and Douglas Andrews (ISBN 911010-30-9 Published in 1969)

A small but excellent primer on the Pomo Indians. The book explains that the Pomo society had some complex elements, including an elaborate money and counting system with the money itself being manufactured with exquisite care. The authors state that the Pomo produced probably the finest basket work ever produced by man. The book also details the complicated dance costumes the Pomo wore on ceremonial occasions.

From Mother to Daughter by Lenette Virginia Laiwa Published by the Mendocino County Museum

An excellent primer on Pomo basket weaving.

The "Fine Art of California Indian Basketry" by Brian Bibby
(ISBN 0-930588-87-8 Published in 1998)

Grace Hudson was the famous painter of the Pomo at the turn of the 20th century. Grace's husband was an anthropologist and studied the Pomo for a Chicago museum. Among the many artifacts that he collected were samples of Pomo baskets. A section of the Grace Hudson museum is devoted to these Pomo baskets. The baskets themselves are unbelievable in their artistry and beauty. Not only is the display attractive the exhibits were accompanied by a superb narrative detailing the immense skill required in collecting and preparing the materials used in the basket creation and the process by which the different types of baskets were made. Believe me you don't just pick up a bundle of sticks and start weaving.

Whilst talking with the gift shop volunteer she suggested the book whose cover is shown below. The book contains beautiful pictures of all types of Pomo and other Californian Indian baskets. California Indian baskets are considered by many to be among the world's most beautiful, sophisticated, and cherished art objects. This full-color book brings together 62 of the finest baskets ever created, each from museums and private collections all over the United States, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Smithsonian, and Harvard's Peabody Museum.

Baskets of everyday use, such as cooking baskets and seed beaters, exhibit an astoundingly sophisticated level of design, while specially made gift baskets adorned with bird feathers and beads are amazing. Some of the baskets are over 150 years old, while others were made within the last few years.

Color photographs of each basket are accompanied by insightful commentary not only from art historians and knowledgeable academic scholars, but also from prominent native weavers and California Indian artists in other media. Their eye for native aesthetics shows us how to look at the baskets in a new and different way.

Plants Used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California
by V.K. Chestnut

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and this one's unprepossessing cover certainly belies the quality of its contents. The book is a reprint. "Plants Used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California" by V.K. Chestnut was first published by the United States Department of Agriculture Division of Botany in 1902. The book is an encyclopedia devoted to the knowledge the Pomo had of the plants they used and gathered for food. Until reprinted in 1974 it had long been out of print but much sought after by herbalists. Having read through it I can understand why. This book proves beyond doubt that the Pomo were totally intimate with nature and its healthy bounty.

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The Pomo people are a linguistic branch of Native American people of Northern California. Their historic territory was on the Pacific Coast between Cleone and Duncans Point, and inland to Clear Lake. Two middens on the Headlands portion of the Fort Bragg Botanical Gardens attest to their local presence.

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Location: North central California, from the Pacific Ocean to Clear Lake (Mendocino, Sonoma, & Lake Counties)

Language: Hokan family

Population:
1770 estimate: 8,000
1910 Census: 1,200

The Pomo were actually seven separate groups with differing dialects (languages), each living in a defined area. Pomo people often knew two or three dialects, but not all Pomo could understand each other easily. Before other settlers came, they did not think of themselves as a single group.
SETTLEMENTS
The seven Pomo groups were: Southwestern (or Kashaya) Pomo; Southern Pomo; Central Pomo; Northern Pomo; Northeastern (or Salt) Pomo; Eastern (or Clear Lake) Pomo; Southeastern (or Lower Lake) Pomo. The heart of Pomo land was the valley of the Russian River. Their territory extended across the Coast Range mountains to the ocean on the west, and to Clear Lake on the east. Though some villages were along the ocean and some near Clear Lake, many more were located in the Russian River valley. Even the people near the coast preferred to have their settlements away from the ocean by some miles, along a river or creek.

The name Pomo may have come from a Northern Pomo word that was added to place names when referring to people who live at that place, as in Buldam-pomo, meaning people who live at Buldam.

A community was made up of several villages with one main village where the headman lived. There were several hundred small villages in Pomo territory, but only about 75 main villages. Each community had certain land on which they had the right to hunt and fish. In some communities, individuals owned certain trees or fishing spots.

The number of headmen differed between the groups of Pomo. Some communities had one; some had several; one Central Pomo community is said to have had 20 chiefs all at the same time, each having a specific job in the community.
HOUSES
There were several types of houses built by the Pomo, depending on where the group lived. Eastern and Southeastern Pomo used the tule reeds that grew in marshy areas around Clear Lake. The tules were tied in bundles and then tied to poles that formed a circular or oval-shaped building. Several families shared a house, each family having a place inside for their fireplace and an entrance door.

Those who lived in the Russian River valley built their houses in the same way as the lake people, though often they used brush and grass instead of tules to cover the poles. The groups closer to the sea coast, where there were lots of redwood trees, built cone-shaped houses of poles covered with slabs of redwood bark. These houses were 8-15 feet in diameter and occupied by one family.

Each community had a small, round house built over a hole dug in the ground. This was used by the men as a sweathouse and for sleeping. Since the sweathouse was covered with brush or tules, it looked like a little grassy hill. Larger buildings (about 70 feet in diameter) with the floor dug out were used for ceremonies and dancing.
FOOD
What the Pomo ate depended on where they lived. Those in the coastal area had fish, shellfish, seaweed, seals and sea lions from the ocean, and deer, elk, and smaller animals from the redwood forests. Dried seaweed and kelp were especially liked, and were traded to those who lived in the inland valleys.

The Pomo men hunted deer, elk, antelope, rabbits, squirrels, and some kinds of birds. Sometimes each man hunted alone; other times they worked as a group to drive the larger animals into a corral, with one man wearing a deer-head mask.

The Eastern and Southeastern Pomo, near Clear Lake, depended on freshwater fish as their main food. There were many kinds of fish (blackfish, carp, suckers, bass, and pike) in the lake and the streams nearby. They caught the fish in the spawning season, and dried them so they would have food all year long.

Acorns were gathered and eaten by all of the Pomo. There were seven kinds of acorns in Pomo territory, plus buckeye nuts, berries, many kinds of seeds, roots, bulbs, and greens. The Pomo also ate grass-hoppers and caterpillars. The Northeastern Pomo supplied salt from a large salt deposit in their area.
CLOTHING
Pomo people used tule reeds or shredded bark from redwood and willow trees to make their clothing. Only the more wealthy people had skirts or robes of deerskin. Women wore skirts that reached to their ankles. They also wore capes over their shoulders, covering the upper part of their bodies.

Men often wore nothing. Sometimes they wore short aprons of tule or shredded bark, and capes over their shoulders. For cold weather, the people had blankets made of many rabbit skins. Other animal skins (sea otter, bear, puma, wildcat) were also used. The people's feet were usually bare.

Both men and women wore ornaments made of wood, bird bone, or feathers in their ears. They used shells and colored stones to make neck and wrist bands and belts.
TOOLS
Pomo baskets are widely known and praised for the fine workmanship and variety of patterns. Pomo made both coiled and twined baskets in many styles, using feathers and beads in the designs. Willow shoots were commonly used as the foundation for both twined and coiled baskets, with fibers of sedgeroot and redwood bark intertwined.

The Pomo who lived along the coast made rafts of driftwood bound with plant fibers. They used them to go to the offshore islands to hunt seals, sea lions, and mussels. The Clear Lake Pomo made raft-like boats from bundles of tule reeds bound together with grape vines. The Southeastern Pomo actually lived on islands in the lake. They used basket traps and spears for their fishing. For hunting large animals the Pomo used the bow and arrow, heavy spears and clubs. For smaller animals they used nets and traps. They had knives made from obsidian (volcanic glass) or chert (a type of rock) or bone.
TRADE
The Pomo held trade feasts where one group who had extra food would invite others to come to a feast. The guests brought clamshell or magnesite (a reddish stone) beads which they traded for food supplies to take home with them. In addition to food, bows and arrows, arrowheads, obsidian blades, belts, robes, feathers, and skins were traded or purchased. The Northeastern Pomo, who had the big salt deposit in their area, expected payment from people who came to get salt.

The clamshell beads used as money came mostly from Bodega Bay, in Coast Miwok land. The Pomo were known as good counters. They were able to understand and use numbers in the thousands.
CEREMONIES
The Pomo called their dances he or ke, meaning sing. A ceremony, which combined several days of dancing, was called haikil. Both men and women wore colorful dance costumes, usually made by the men. They used many bright feathers and beads to decorate the dance costumes. Headbands had flicker (a type of woodpecker) feathers in them.

The Pomo sang love songs, lullabies, hunting songs, gambling songs, and religious songs. They made music with flutes, whistles, clapper sticks, rattles, and drums made from hollow logs.

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Location: North central California, from the Pacific Ocean to Clear Lake (Mendocino, Sonoma, & Lake Counties) Language: Hokan family Population:1770 estimate: 8,000 1910 Census: 1,200 The Pomo were actually seven separate groups with differing dialects (languages), each living in a defined area.

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Native American Indian Tribes

Site Index

Facts about the Paiute Native Indian Tribe
This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Paiute Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Paiute tribe live, what clothes did they wear, what did they eat and who were the names of their most famous leaders? Discover what happened to the Paiute tribe with facts about their wars and history.

What was the lifestyle and culture of the Paiute tribe?
The Paiute tribe were originally seed gathers and hunters from the Great Basin cultural group of Native Indians. The Paiute tribe lived in a large area centered mainly upon Nevada, but extending east to Utah, west to California, south to Arizona, and north to Idaho and Oregon. The Paiute tribe had two major bands called the Walpapi and the Yahooskin, who were known as the Snake Indians. The locations of the Paiutes were divided into three groups:

Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon

Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada

Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California, Nevada and Utah

The Paiute tribe lived in small family groups in small camps of grass houses or temporary wikiups. They spent most of their time gathering seeds, fishing and hunting especially for migratory ducks. The tribe used canoes to travel across the waters. The Great Basin social and cultural patterns of the Paiute tribe were those of the non-horse bands. The neighbouring tribes of the Paiute included the Koso, Washoe, Panamint, Walapi, Ute and the Shoshone tribes. The white settlers that rushing to reach the California Gold fields or the Comstock Lode silver passed through Paiute lands. Some traders and settlers decided to stay in the area, cut down trees ruining the Pine Nut forests and trampling across the grasses that had once provided the Paiute with their means to survive. In 1858, the Paiute tribe allied with the Coeur d'Alene in a 2 year war against the white invaders. After initial successes in the Pyramid Lake War of 1860, they were defeated. The Paiute tribe again came to the fore when Wovoka (c. 1856-1932) a Northern Paiute shaman who founded the Ghost Dance movement.

The Ghost Dance
In Ghost Dance movement was initiated in by two Paiute shamans and prophets, called Wodziwob and Wovoka c.1870. The Ghost Dance was part of a mystical ceremony designed to re-establish the Native Indian culture and to bring a peaceful end of the westward expansion of whites and a return of the land to the Native American Indians. The ritual lasted five successive days and dances underwent rituals that resulted in hypnotic trances. Word of the Paiute Ghost Dance spread to other Native Americans tribes who sent delegates to Wovoka and Wodziwob to learn their teachings and rituals. In an incredibly short period of time the religion spread to most of the Western Native Indians. The Ghost Dancers wore Ghost shirts of white muslin, which the Native Indians believed could not be pierced by the bullets of enemy soldiers. The ghost dance was significant because it was a central feature among the Sioux tribe just prior to the massacre of Wounded Knee, in 1890.

What were the rituals and ceremonies of the Paiute tribe?
The rituals and ceremonies of the Paiute tribe and many other Great Basin Native Indians included the Bear Dance and the Sun Dance which first emerged in the Great Basin, as did the Paiute Ghost Dance.

What language did the Paiute tribe speak?
The Paiute tribe spoke in a Numic language, formerly called Plateau Shoshonean, which was a division of the Uto-Aztecan language.

The Paiute are people of the Great Basin Native American cultural group. The location of their tribal homelands are shown on the map. The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Paiute tribe.

The Paiute tribe originally lived in the American Great Basin region but with the advent of the horse many migrated to the Great Plains

Tribal Territories of the Paiute: Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and California

Land: Deserts, salt flats and brackish lakes

Climate: Very hot summers and cold winters with very low levels of rainfall

Animals: The animals included deer, sheep, antelope, rabbits, hares, lizards and snakes. Fish was also available

Natural resources: pine nuts, seeds, berries, nuts, roots, leaves, stalks and bulbs. Indian rice grass was harvested

Paiute Woman gathering seeds

What food did the Paiute tribe eat?
The food that the Paiute tribe ate included Indian rice grass, also known as sandgrass, Indian millet, sandrice and silkygrass. Rice grass occurs naturally on coarse, sandy soils in the arid lands throughout the Great Basin. Other common names are sandgrass, sandrice, Indian millet, and silkygrass. The seeds of rice grass were a staple food of Native American Indians, including the Paiute tribe, who lived in the Great Basin area. The Paiute tribe were skilled basket makers and wove their baskets so closely that they could contain the smallest of seeds and hold water.

The Paiutes foraged for tubers and greens, including cattail sprouts, and for berries and pine nuts. The seeds of rice grass were ground into meal. Whenever possible they fished and hunted, especially for migratory ducks.

What did the Paiute tribe live in?
The Great Basin Paiute tribe lived in temporary shelters of windbreaks in the summer or flimsy huts covered with rushes or bunches of grass simply called Brush Shelters. The materials used for Brush shelters were sagebrush, willow, branches, leaves, and grass (brush) that were available in their region.

Paiute Wickiups: The more permanent winter homes of the Paiute were called Wickiups. These were cone-shaped huts that were built using a frame of willow boughs and covered with reeds, branches, brush and grass. The Paiute wickiup was rounded at the base and at the top of the dome was an open smoke hole. Rocks were often piled around the base of the grass house for added insulation. The Paiute wickiup houses were sometimes built over a 2 - 3 foot foundation. Bark and earth was added to the Paiute house covering to keep out the cold.

Picture of a Blowgun
Paiute History Timeline

1000: Woodland Period including the Adena and Hopewell cultures established along rivers in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States

1776: First white contact was made with the Paiute tribe by Spanish explorers, Francisco Atanasio Dominquez and Silvestre Veles de Escalante

1825: Mountain man Jedediah Smith (January 6, 1799 - May 27, 1831) made contact with the tribe

1830: Indian Removal Act

1832: Department of Indian Affairs established

1848: Gold was discovered in California

1851: Trading posts were established on Paiute lands

1853: The Walker War (1853-1854) with the Ute Indians begins over slavery among the Indians. Wakara (Walker) leads the Utes in Utah in a series of raids on Mormon settlements

1855: Treaty of friendship between the Paiute and Shoshone Indians and the US was signed at Haws Ranch

1857: Comstock Lode major silver discovery in Nevada (then Utah)

1858: Coeur d'Alene War (1858-1859) The Northern Paiute were allies of the Coeur d'Alene

1860: By 1860 the Pine nut forests had been ruined and seed grasses trampled

1860: Paiute War also known as Pyramid Lake War, Utah Territory, (now Nevada)

1861: 1861 - 1865: The American Civil War

1864: The Snake War (1864-1868) was fought by the U.S. army against the "Snake Indians" which was the settlers term for Northern Paiute, Bannock and Western Shoshone bands who lived along the Snake River. Fighting took place in Oregon, Nevada, and California, and Idaho

1870: The Ghost dance religion is initiated c1870 by Wovoka and Wodziwob at the Walker River Reservation

1881: Between 1881- 1888 the Paiute Indians in California, Nevada, Oregon and the Territory of Washington are forcibly moved to reservations at: Malheur River in Oregon and Fort McDermitt and Pyramid Lake in Nevada.

1887: Dawes General Allotment Act passed by Congress leads to the break up of the large Indian Reservations and the sale of Indian lands to white settlers

1890: The Ghost Dance was central among the Sioux tribe just prior to the massacre of Wounded Knee, in 1890.

1915: The Bluff War, aka Posey War or the Posse War when Ute and Paiute in conflict with the US army. Location: San Juan County, Utah and Montezuma, County, Colorado

Paiute History Timeline

Interesting Facts and information about the way the people lived

The clothes worn by men and women

Description of the homes and the type of food the Paiute tribe would eat

Fast Facts and info about the Paiute tribe

Names of famous chiefs and leaders

Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Paiute Native American Indians

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Check out this site for interesting facts about the Paiute tribe of the Great Plains. Food, clothing, homes, weapons and culture of the Paiute. Interesting facts about the Paiute nation of the Great Basin.

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Native American Indian Facts

Paiute Indian Girl

Introduction
The Paiute tribe of Native American Indians is made up of several bands throughout the western part of the United States, also known as the Great Basin region. The Northern Paiute's territory covers parts of Oregon, California, Idaho and Nevada while the Southern Paiute's occupy parts of Arizona, Nevada, Utah as well as the southeastern portion of California. The Owens Valley Paiute, who are sometimes considered Southern Paiute, are also found in California and Nevada. Although the northern Paiute were more hostile than the southern Paiute, the tribe was known for possessing many good qualities like being moral and peaceful. In fact, what they are known for is their non-violent ways. Please read on for list of facts and information about the Paiute Tribe.

Click here for a great selection of Paiute Indian books on AMAZON .

Paiute Indian Tribe General Facts and Information

Paiute women were highly skilled in the art of basket weaving. Baskets were used in everyday life as dishes and containers but also for gathering food like fruits and nuts. Because the women often carried full baskets on their shoulders, they wore basket hats to prevent injuries to their skin.

The Paiute people were a nomadic tribe in a constant search for food through the forests of the Rocky Mountains to the desert areas to the west.

Hunting was not a skill that the Paiute men were able to master. Bows and arrows were the primary tool used for hunting. However their bows were not very effective. Since the amount of animals they were able to kill was minimal, tribe members wore very little hide clothing.

The Paiute were not rich in material items such as jewelry, clothes or art. Their nomadic lifestyle forced them to keep their possessions to a minimum. Because they had so few possessions, they were not often the target of attacks from other tribes.

Paiute Indian Tribal Rituals and Ceremony Facts

The Paiute people strongly believe in "Puha" or power, a traditional belief that everything in the universe has a life force. The Paiute practice meditation and perform special rituals in an attempt to harness the puha. It is believed that health, wartime victory, weather and fertility were attainable through puha.

The Ghost Dance, started by a Paiute man named Wodziwob, was one of their most celebrated traditions. It eventually became a universal Native American tradition. It was believed that the dance would reunite the living with the dead and bring peace and prosperity to the people.

Pyramid Lake War Facts

Nevada is home to the Pyramid Lake War of 1860, a series of two battles between the Paiute and the white settlers. The settlers came to the area in search of gold and silver and in their search, effectively destroyed the Indians' valuable natural resources. This created a great deal of tension among the Paiute and Chief Numaga.

The Paiute reached their breaking point when two Paiute girls were kidnapped by white settlers. It sparked the most intense battle in Nevada's history and the initial battle left several white traders dead and 75 members of the militia dead.

In retaliation, the white militia attacked several weeks later and numerous Paiute Indians died as a result. A treaty was signed to end the fighting a few months later.

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Native American Indian Facts The Paiute tribe of Native American Indians is made up of several bands throughout the western part of the United States, also known as the Great Basin region. The Northern Paiute's territory covers parts of Oregon, California, Idaho and Nevada while the Southern Paiute's occupy parts of Arizona, Nevada, Utah as well as the southeastern portion of California.

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Location: Northeastern and east central border of California (eastern Modoc, Lassen & Mono Counties)

Language: Uto-Aztecan family

Population:
1770 estimate: not known
1910 Census: not known

Their territory was on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, placing the Paiute with the cultures of the desert and Great Basin area of Nevada, rather than in the California culture area. Only a small percentage of the total number of Paiutes lived in what is now California.

SETTLEMENTS

Paiute settlements in California were located in a strip along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, reaching more than a third of the way down the state. There were Paiutes living both north and south of the border area occupied by the Washo people.

The name Paiute may mean water Ute or true Ute. The most northern Paiutes have been known as the Surprise Valley Paiutes. Those just south of the Washo are sometimes called the Mono Paiute, and had some connection with the California Mono on the west side of the Sierras. Further south, near the middle of the state, were the Owens Valley Paiute. Though their languages were from the same language family, the Owens Valley Paiute and the Northern Paiute did not understand each other's speech.

Northern Paiute people moved around a great deal in their search for food. The family was the only stable unit. In the winter, a number of families would settle together for some months. During other seasons, smaller groups of families would travel together, making camps where they found a food supply. Those in the Owens Valley made more permanent settlements than other Northern Paiute. Their moves to find food took them over a smaller area. Their village sites, some with as many as 200 people, were along streams or the Owens River.

Within the Paiute family, decisions were made by an elder family member. When groups of families were living near each other, a leader or headman was chosen by the group. His power was limited to advising the people and serving at ceremonies. Among the Owens Valley Paiute, a son usually followed his father as headman. With other Northern Paiutes, the group would choose a new leader.
HOUSES
For their winter or more permanent houses, the Paiute placed willow poles in a circle and either leaned them together at the top, making a cone-shaped dwelling, or bent them in a dome shape. The poles were covered with mats woven from tule reeds, when they were available, or with bundles of long grasses tied together. There was a smoke hole at the top, and an entry door covered with an animal skin. In the coldest areas, the floor of the house was sometimes dug down one or two feet into the ground, for added warmth.

When the people were to be living in a place for a shorter time, they put up windbreaks and shelters made of brush, with a roof but only one or no side walls.

Owens Valley Paiute villages had sweathouses, circular structures built over pits dug in the ground. They were heated by a fire built inside the entrance. The sweathouse served as a meeting place for the men.
FOOD
Piñon nuts were a main food for the Paiutes in California. The placement of their settlements depended on the supply of piñon nuts. Though the Owens Valley Paiutes were fond of acorns, these were much harder for them to get, since they grew mostly on the other side of the mountains. Both piñon nuts and acorns were ground into flour and cooked into a mush or baked as flat cakes.

Many types of seeds and berries were gathered. Berries were eaten fresh, or dried and used in soups and stews. Seeds were ground into flour and used to make mush or seed cakes. The seeds of Indian ricegrass, wild rye, and chia were important sources of food. In swampy areas, the roots of the wild hyacinth and other plants were used for food. In the Owens Valley, lowland areas were purposely flooded with water in order to increase the growth of certain plants. This irrigation was done by building a dam across a stream and digging ditches to divert the water to the area where the plants were growing.

Deer, antelope, and desert or mountain bighorn sheep were hunted with bow and arrows. Rabbit was the most common game. Other small animals such as marmots, ground squirrels, and porcupines were also caught using noose snares and nets.

Birds such as grouse, ducks, and other waterfowl were hunted by the Northern Paiute, who also collected duck eggs for eating. The Owens Valley Paiute did not do as much bird hunting. None of the Paiute in California depended much on fish. The Owens River had only a few small species of fish, and Owens Lake had none.
CLOTHING
The type of clothing depended on how far north people were living. In colder places, clothes were made from deerskins whenever they were available. Women wore an apron either with just one piece in the front or with a second piece in the back. If there were no deerskins, the apron could be made of coyote, badger, or rabbit skins, or of strips of bark or bundles of grasses tied to a waistband.

Men wore a piece of deerskin wrapped around their hips. In colder weather, they wrapped strips of deerskin around their legs. Rabbit skins were cut in strips and woven into robes and blankets. Moccasins were made from a single piece of deerskin, sewn up the front. Women wore basket caps to protect their heads from the bands of the carrying baskets that rested on the forehead.
TOOLS
Baskets were used by the Paiute to gather and store many kinds of food. They used the twining method of basket-making to make carrying baskets of various sizes and trays for sifting and drying seeds. The Owens Valley Paiute made a special basket with a narrow opening in which they kept their shell-bead money. The shape of this basket came from the Great Basin cultures to the east, but the use--keeping shells as a sign of wealth--came from other California groups. Some Owens Valley Paiute women also made pottery from the reddish clay, a skill learned from groups to the east of California.
TRADE
The Paiutes living near Mono Lake and in Owens Valley had more friendly contact with other California groups than did the Paiutes further north. They made the trip across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and traded with the Yokuts, Miwok, and Tubatulabal. The Paiutes exchanged piñon nuts for the acorns that grew on the western side of the mountains. They also got salt from the Panamint Shoshones and traded it to the Monache. Strings of shell beads, which came originally from the people living along the sea coast, were used as money.
CEREMONIES
To celebrate the fall harvest, the people gathered for a Round Dance, where singers and dancers in special dance costumes performed. The dances were held outdoors, in a large space with a brush fence around it. Many Owens Valley groups came together each year for the Mourning or Cry ceremony, to remember those who had died during the past year.

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Location: Northeastern and east central border of California (eastern Modoc, Lassen & Mono Counties) Language: Uto-Aztecan family Population: 1770 estimate: not known 1910 Census: not known Their territory was on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, placing the Paiute with the cultures of the desert and Great Basin area of Nevada, rather than in the California culture area.

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Barras, Judy (1984) Their places shall know them no more (Judy and Bud Barras: Tehachapi), 91 p.

Kroeber, Alfred (1925) Handbook of the Indians of California (Smithsonian Institution: Washington D.C.), 995 p.

Latta, Frank F. (1977) Handbook of Yokuts Indians, 2nd Edition, Brewer's Historical Press and Coyote Press, 765 p.

Schiffman, Robert A. and Alan P. Garfinkel (1981) Prehistory of Kern County, an overview, Bakersfield College Publications in Archaeology, Number 1.

Spier, Robert F.G. (1978), " Northern Valley & Foothill Yokuts" in Handbook of North American Indians - California (Robert F. Heizer, ed.), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., v. 8, p. 462-470 & 471-484.

Spier, Robert F.G. (1978), " Monache" in Handbook of North American Indians - California (Robert F. Heizer, ed.), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., v. 8, p. 426-436.

Steward, Julian H. (1935) Indian Tribes of Sequoia National Park, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service.

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Barras, Judy (1984) Their places shall know them no more (Judy and Bud Barras: Tehachapi), 91 p. Kroeber, Alfred (1925) Handbook of the Indians of California (Smithsonian Institution: Washington D.C.), 995 p. Latta, Frank F. (1977) Handbook of Yokuts Indians, 2nd Edition, Brewer's Historical Press and Coyote Press, 765 p.

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Location: Northeastern California (Plumas County & southern Lassen County)

Language: Penutian family

Population:
1770 estimate: 9,000
1910 Census: 1,100 (includes Konkow & Niesan)

The Maidu were one of three groups that spoke similar languages and lived close to each other. The term Maidu is sometimes used to refer to all three groups. The Maidu proper were the Mountain Maidu, the most northeastern of the three. The other two associated groups are the Konkow (or Northwestern Maidu) and the Nisenan (or Southern Maidu).

SETTLEMENTS

The area occupied by the Maidu was a series of mountain valleys. The villages in each valley were known to the people by the name of the valley. These valleys were about 4,000 feet above sea level. The Maidu placed their villages along the edges of the valleys rather than in the flat middle, because the valley bottoms were often wet from melting snows.

Communities were made up of three to five villages, with an average of seven to ten houses in each village. The main village had the ceremonial earth-lodge. Though this was not necessarily the largest village, it was usually the one where the headman of the community lived. In fact, the headman often lived in the earth-lodge. His job was to give advice to the people, and to speak for them with other groups. Each community held certain land on which they had hunting and fishing rights. Guards were posted to make sure that people from other communities did not hunt or fish there. People did not usually travel more than 20 miles from home during their lifetime.
HOUSES
The Maidu lived in houses that were partly underground during the winter. Several families shared a house, which they would build in the spring when the ground was soft. Then they could dig down to a depth of about four feet. The houses were round, with diameters of from 20 to 40 feet. The poles that formed the frame for the house were covered with bark, and then with packed earth. The village ceremonial house was of the same design.

Some Maidu built cone-shaped houses from poles covered with bark. These were smaller than the earth-lodges. In the summer, the people made temporary shelters near where they were hunting or gathering food. These shelters were made with poles and a flat roof of oak branches and leaves. There were no walls.
FOOD
Since the Maidu lived in the mountains, they depended more on animals like deer for their food. They were good hunters. Sometimes a man hunted alone, and sometimes with a group of men. They had hunting dogs to help in the hunt. Deer and elk were followed for days until the animals were tired and could be killed more easily. Squirrel and rabbits were shot with arrows, or caught in nets. Geese, duck, and quail were used as food, but birds of prey such as eagles were never eaten. Several kinds of insects including grasshoppers and crickets were eaten.

Before it was eaten, meat was roasted over an open fire or baked. An oven was made by putting rocks in a hole and lighting a fire in the hole. When the rocks were hot, the burning coals were raked out. The food to be baked was wrapped in large leaves and covered with the hot rocks.

The Maidu used many plants growing in their area for food. They ate roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of plants. Acorns from several kinds of oak trees, including the huckleberry oak and the bush chinquapin that grow in the northeastern mountain region, were gathered. The Maidu also gathered the nuts of the sugar pine and yellow pine, which they ate plain or cooked into a soup.

Fish were sometimes caught in nets, and sometimes speared. The nets were made like bags, held open at the mouth by a piece of willow branch. The mouth of the net could be closed, after the fish swam in, by means of a pole tied to the opposite side of the mouth.

Manzanita berries were crushed and mixed with water to form a stiff dough. When water was poured over the dough, it became flavored with the sweet berry flavor, making a manzanita cider. Another drink was a type of tea made from wild mint.
CLOTHING
The Maidu did not need to wear much clothing. If the men wore anything at all in the warm summer weather, it was a simple piece of deerskin around their hips. Women wore a double apron, one section covering the front and the other covering the back. The apron was made of deerskin or of bark.

In the winter, the Maidu wore moccasins on their feet. The moccasins were made of deerskin, with a seam sewn up the front. They were stuffed with grass for extra warmth. Deerhide was wrapped around the lower part of the legs when it was snowy. These leggings were worn with the hair side in. Over their shoulders, the people wore robes made from deer or mountain lion skins.

The Maidu wore their hair long and hanging loose. Some men wore a net cap. For ceremonies, the net cap was decorated with feathers. Maidu women wore a basket cap made of tules. Tattooing was done by the Maidu. The men often had vertical lines on the chin. Women also had tattoos on the chest, arms, and abdomen. The tattoo was made by piercing the skin with a fish bone or pine needle, and rubbing in a dye or charcoal.
TOOLS
Canoes were used by the Maidu. These were dugout canoes made by burning out the middle of logs. They were steered with one paddle or with a pole. The Maidu also made log rafts for crossing rivers by binding together several logs with vines.

Roots of yellow pine and bear grass, plus stems of the maidenhair fern, were used by the Maidu for making baskets. Baskets used for carrying loads and for storing and serving food were made by the method called twining. Designs were made with pieces of redbud, or pine root dyed black with charcoal. Coiled baskets were made when the basket needed to be firmer and water-tight. A bundle of three slender stems was made into a circular shape. The coils of stems were tied together with other fibers.

Nets, bows and arrows, knives, and spears were used in hunting and fishing. Obsidian (volcanic glass) was used to make arrowheads. Knives and spears were made from hard black basalt rock, fastened to a wooden handle.
TRADE
Clamshell disks served as money for the Maidu. The pieces of clamshell were made into beads. The Maidu got rough shells from the coast people, and finished them into polished beads themselves. Magnesite (a kind of stone) beads were also prized. Both types of beads were strung on strings.

The Maidu traded with their neighbors. From the Achumawi, to the north, they got obsidian and a green dye. From the Konkow they got bows, arrows, deer hides, and several kinds of food.
CEREMONIES
The Maidu held many dances, both for special ceremonies and for fun. Along with the dancing they used a rattle called a wasóso; the name sounds like the sound the rattle made, like that of swishing pebbles. Several kinds of flutes and whistles were also used to make music for the dancing.

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Location: Northeastern California (Plumas County & southern Lassen County) Language: Penutian family Population: 1770 estimate: 9,000 1910 Census: 1,100 (includes Konkow & Niesan) The Maidu were one of three groups that spoke similar languages and lived close to each other. The term Maidu is sometimes used to refer to all three groups.

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Indigenous language American Indian people American Indian art
Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Maidu tribe for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to visit our mainMaidu website for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Maidu pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

Sponsored Links What kinds of stories do the Maidus tell?
There are lots of traditional Maidu legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Maidu Indian culture. Here is a story about

What about Maidu religion?
Spirituality and religion were important parts of Maidu life, and some people continue to practice traditional beliefs today. It is respectful to avoid imitating religious rituals for school projects since some Maidu people care about them deeply. You can read and learn about them, however. You can visit this site to learn more about

Maidu Tribe

Maidu is pronounced "my-doo." That comes from the word for "people" in their own language. "Maidu" was originally just the name of one particular community, but in modern times, it has come to refer to the whole tribe.

The Maidus areCalifornia Indians, located in Northern California. Most Maidu people still live there today.

Most Maidu people live onrancherias, which are parcels of land in the state of California that are similar to reservations. There are two Maidu rancherias, each with its own tribal leadership. Not all Maidu people today live on the Pit River rancherias, however. Some live in intertribal communities with members of other tribes, such as the Round Valley Reservation and the Susanville Indian Rancheria. Others live in Northern California towns.

In the past, each Maidu band was led by a chief or headman who was appointed by the medicine man. Today, each Maidu rancheria is governed by a tribal council elected by its residents.

The Maidu speak English today. In the past, they spoke their nativeMaidu language. Some Maidu elders still remember words from this language, and there are younger people who are interested in learning to speak their traditional language again. If you'd like to know an easy Maidu word,he'i, pronounced heh-ee, is a friendly greeting. here is aMaidu picture glossary you can look at.

Here's a link to theKonkow Maidu Cultural Preservation Association. On their site you can find information about the Maidu people in the past and today.

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They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Maidu children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But they did have toys and games. The hoop game, where players tried to throw long darts through a moving hoop, was a popular one with kids. Teens and adults played gambling games-- dice games for women and girls, and a game where players held marked sticks behind their backs and guessed their location for men and boys. Maidu girls also played withdolls. Like many California Indians, Maidu mothers traditionally carried their babis inbaby baskets. Here is a website withbaby basket pictures.

The Maidus lived in earthen houses. Usually these houses were made from a cone-shaped frame of wooden poles placed over a basement-like hole dug into the ground. Then the frame would be covered with bark and packed with a mound of earth to keep it well insulated. Because they were partially underground, Maidu houses appeared smaller than they really were. Here are some pictures of differenttypes of Native American houses. Today, most Maidu live in modern houses and apartments, just like you.

Maidu people didn't wear much clothing. Maidu men usually went naked, and Maidu women wore grass skirts. In cold weather, Maidu people would sometimes wear rabbit-fur robes. The Maidus usually went barefoot, but when they were hunting or traveling, they woredeerskin moccasins on their feet. Here are some photos and links about theNative American fashion in general.

The Maidus didn't wear long headdresses like theSioux tribes. For dances and religious rituals, Maidu men wore headbands made of flicker feathers and elaborate feathered caps, likethis, but they did not wear these headdresses in ordinary life. Maidu women worebeaded headbands. The Maidus only painted their faces for dances and ceremonies, but they did weartattoo patterns. Women tattooed lines on their chins, while men tattooed their arms and chests. Maidus of both genders wore long beaded necklaces and shell jewelry in their pierced ears and noses.

Today, some Maidu people still wear moccasins or beaded jewelry, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of grass skirts.

Yes--the Maidu tribe madedugout canoes by hollowing out pine logs. They used these canoes to travel and fish on the rivers. Here is a website with pictures ofIndian dugout canoes. Canoeing is still popular among California Indians, though few people carve a canoe by hand anymore. Today, of course, Maidu people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

What was Maidu food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Maidus werehunter-gatherers. Maidu men hunted for deer and small game, and fished in the rivers. Maidu women gathered acorns and ground them into meal to make bread and soups, as well as collecting berries, nuts, and other plants. Here is a website with more information aboutNative American cooking.

Maidu hunters used bows and arrows. Maidu fishermen used nets and basket fish traps. The Maidus didn't go to war very often, but they did sometimes raid each others' villages. During raids like these, warriors usually fired arrows at each other instead of fighting hand to hand. Here is a website with pictures and information aboutIndian archery.

Maidu artists are known for their finebasketweaving. Here are pictures of someMaidu baskets.

What other Native Americans did the Maidu tribe interact with?

The Maidu primarily traded-- and fought-- amongst themselves. Each Maidu band had its own independent leadership, and they did not always cooperate with each other. Another tribe that the Maidu bands frequently interacted with was theMiwok tribe. Sometimes Miwok and Maidu people would marry each other.
Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
If you want to know more about Maidu culture and history, one interesting source for kids is
the origin of fire. Here's a website where you can read more aboutMaidu myths.

Maidu religious traditions, or this site aboutNative American beliefs and practices in general.How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organization

The Maidu. Older readers may enjoyThe Northern Maidu, an oral history by a Maidu elder. Two good books for kids on California Indians in general areCalifornia Native Peoples andNative Ways ; a more in-depth book for older readers isTribes of California. You can also browse through our recommendations ofNative American books in general. Disclaimer: we are an Amazon affiliate and our website earns a commission if you buy a book through one of these links. Most of them can also be found in a public library, though!

here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2020.

Thanks for your interest in the Maidu Indian people and their language!

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Maidu Indian Tribe
An overview of the Maidu tribe, their language and history.

Maidu Language Resources
Maidu Indian language samples, articles, and indexed links.

Maidu Culture and History Directory
Related links about the Maidu Native Americans past and present.

Maidu Words
Maidu Indian vocabulary lists.

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Indigenous language American Indian people American Indian art Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Maidu tribe for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to visit our mainMaidu website for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Maidu pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

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This article contains interesting facts, pictures and information about the life of the Maidu Native American Indian Tribe of the California cultural group.

The Maidu Tribe
Summary and Definition: The Maidu tribe were a California tribe of Native American Indians who were hunter-gatherers and fishers. The Maidu tribe inhabited the Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valleys of northern California. The Maidu were a semi-nomadic people who hunted in the summer, building wigwams (wikiups) as temporary shelters. In the winter lived in semi-subterranean pit houses or earth lodges.

Native American Indian Tribes

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Facts about the Maidu Native Indian Tribe
This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Maidu Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Maidu tribe live, what did they wear and what food did they eat? Discover what happened to the Maidu tribe with facts about their wars and history.

What was the lifestyle and culture of the Maidu tribe?
The Maidu tribe inhabited Sierra Nevada and the adjacent valleys of northern California. They were neighbors to the Wintun tribe, with whom they were frequently traded. The opening of the Oregon and California trail brought white settlers, travelling in wagon trains, who invaded their lands. The discovery of gold in California increased the number strangers and gold rush settlers inundated their homeland. The Maidu were fierce defenders of their diminishing territory but the numbers of their people swiftly diminished as they succumbed to European diseases such as malaria, smallpox, measles and influenza.

The white settlers encroached their lands building using natural resources to build fences and settlements. Oak trees were cut down and acorns, a staple element of their diet, became very difficult to obtain as were roots, bulbs, fruits and other nuts. Mining activities interfered with the salmon runs. Wild game was depleted as more people hunted for food. The lifestyle of the Maidu was ruined and many suffered from starvation. In 1863 the Maidu people were forced onto the Round Valley Reservation.

What language did the Maidu tribe speak?
The Maidu tribe spoke in the Penutian language The Maidu people were comprised of three groups. The Northeastern or Mountain Maidu lived on the upper North and middle forks of the Feather River. The Northwestern or Konkow lived below the high Sierra and in the Sacramento Valley. The Southern Maidu or Nisenan occupied the American, Bear, and Yuba Rivers.

Where did the Maidu tribe live?
The Maidu are people of the California Native American cultural group. The location of their tribal homelands are shown on the map. The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Maidu tribe.

Location of the Maidu: Northeastern California (Plumas County and southern Lassen County

Land: Mountains, valleys rivers and lakes

Climate: Mild temperate climate

Natural Resources: Oak trees, acorns, buckeye nuts, mushrooms, hazel nuts, bulbs, roots and grasses

Types of Maidu housing or shelters: Cedar bark tepees and pit houses

Land animals: The animals included deer, elk, chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, quail, mountain sheep and bear

Insects: Crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars and dried locusts were all eaten to supplement the diet

What did the Maidu tribe live in?
Cedar Bark Tepees: During the summer the semi-nomadic California Maidu tribe lived in temporary temporary pointed, conical cedar bark shelters, constructed using several poles tied together that were covered with bark, sticks over the framework.

Winter Pit Houses: The more permanent winter homes of the Maidu consisted of villages of semi-subterranean winter homes that were built up to 15 feet into the ground. The Californian pit house was constructed of earth and brush sidewalls, wood end walls and a pitched roof that was completely covered in earth. The Maidu winter houses had a central fire pit. An opening in the roof allowed the smoke to escape and also let light and air in. Entrance was accessed via ladder on top of the roof.

What clothes did the Maidu men wear?
The clothes worn by the men of the Maidu tribe varied according to the seasons and the weather. During the summer months the men wore a breech cloth or simply went naked. In the winter months warm clothing was needed. Their clothes were made from the hides of animals such as deer (buckskin), elk, squirrel, rabbit and wildcats. The items of Maidu clothing included warm fur robes and cloaks, shirts, wrap-around kilts, mitts and leggings that were decorated with fringes. They wore one-piece moccasins with a front seam whilst hunting or traveling, but went barefoot in the warm weather.

The Maidu Headdress
The ceremonial crown-style headdress of the Maidu, as seen in the above picture, consisted of a flicker quill headband that covered the forehead and was tied at the back. (The flicker bird is a member of the woodpecker family). The Flicker headbands were made from flicker the longest and narrowest wing feathers. These dark pink or yellow feathers were placed side by side and sewn together to form a long headband. These were bordered by dark brown feathers and attached to the head with twined string. Feather hair plumes were added as a separate form of decoration to complete the headdress.

What clothes did the Maidu women wear?
The type of clothes worn by the women of the Maidu tribe included blouses and front and back aprons made of shredded willow bark. Their dress fell to calf length and were belted, fringed. Special clothes were strung with ornaments, tassels and porcupine quills. Twined tule sandals or moccasins covered their feet and in the winter they wore fur robes to keep out the cold.

What food did the Maidu tribe eat?
A staple food of the Maidu were the acorns from the oak trees that provided an abundance of these nuts. The acorns were gathered from the Californian white, black and tan oak trees and the huckleberry oak and the bush chinquapin that grow in the northeastern mountain region. The acorns which were soaked in water or left until they turned black in order to remove the taste of bitter tannic acid. The acorns were then roasted and eaten whole or ground into acorn meal which was used to make bread. Salmon and trout were the main types of fish eaten by the people and hunters supplied meat from deer (venison) and small game such as geese, duck, quail, rabbit and small rodents. Their protein diet was supplements by eating fruits, seeds, nuts, bulbs and roots. Insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars and locusts were baked when fresh meat was scarce. Manzanita berries were used to make a type of cider and wild mint was used to make a type of tea.

What weapons did the Maidu use?
The traditional weapons used by the Maidu tribe included spears, stone ball clubs, knives and bows and arrows.

What transportation did the Maidu use?
Maidu men made rafts and dugout canoes. They made rafts by tying logs together with plant fiber ropes and their canoes were made from hollowed logs.

What was the religion and beliefs of the Maidu tribe?
The religion and beliefs of the Maidu tribe was based on Animism that encompassed the spiritual idea that all natural objects including animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains and rocks have souls or spirits.

Maidu History Timeline: What happened to the Maidu tribe?
The following history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks of the people. The Maidu timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe.
Maidu History Timeline

1830: The first contact of the Maidu with the white Europeans was with fur traders who trapped in their territory working for the Hudson's Bay Company. These men included trappers and explorers such as Peter Skene Ogden, John Work Alexander Roderick McLeod, Michel Laframboise and Francis Ermatinger

1832: Many Maidu people die due to a influenza and malaria epidemics spread by the fur traders

1841: The California Trail opens

1843: The first major migration along the Oregon Trail took place as white settlers traveled west in wagon trains

1846: South Emigrant Road aka the Applegate Trail opens

1848: California is passed to the US with the Treaty of Guadalupe

1848: January 24, 1848: Gold is discovered at Sutter's timber Mill starting the California Gold rush. The Maidu tribal lands were inundated with white gold rush settlers

1848: The white settlers and gold prospectors bring various diseases to the Native Indians who lived in the surrounding areas of the westward trails

1850: California was admitted into the Union

1859: The Chico Creek massacre when white settlers attacked a Maidu camp near Chico Creek in California, killing 40 men, women and children

1863: The Maidu tribe were forced onto the Round Valley Reservation

1870: The Bole-Maru and the Earth Lodge Religion were religious revitalization movements of tribes in north-central California that grew out of the Ghost Dance movement. 'Bole' is a Wintun word and 'Maru' is a Pomo word both referring to the dreams of medicine people.

Maidu History Timeline
Maidu

Interesting Facts and information about the way the Maidu people lived

The clothes worn by men and women

Description of the homes and the type of food the Maidu would eat

Fast Facts and info about the Maidu Californian Indian tribe

Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Maidu Native American Indians

Pictures and Videos of Native American Indians and their Tribes
The Maidu Tribe was one of the most famous tribes of Native American Indians. Discover the vast selection of pictures on the subject of the tribes of Famous Native Americans such as the Maidu nation. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes, such as the Maidu tribe, that can be used as a really useful educational resource for kids and children of all ages. We hope you enjoy watching the video - just click and play - a great social studies homework resource for kids .

Maidu - Kids - Cool, Fun Facts - Maidu Clothes - Clothing - Dresses - Headdresses - Maidu tribe- Homes - Lives - Weapons - Legends - Maidu Food - Location - History - Legends - Kids - Info - Information - Famous - Kids - Children - Maidu people - Teaching resource - Social Studies - Maidu Lifestyle - Culture - Teachers - Maidu Facts - Maidu - Kids - Interesting Facts - Info - Information - Maidu Pictures - Reference - Guide - Studies - Homework - Maidu Facts

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This article contains interesting facts, pictures and information about the life of the Maidu Native American Indian Tribe of the California cultural group. The Maidu Tribe Summary and Definition: The Maidu tribe were a California tribe of Native American Indians who were hunter-gatherers and fishers.

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Mono Indian Baskets

Mono home (The North American Indian; v.15)
Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images, 2001.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html

THE WESTERN MONO INDIANS

The Western Mono belong to the Uto-Aztecan language group that may once have occupied the Colorado Plateau.Several Uto-Aztecan subgroups diverged, with the Numic subgroup, ancestors of the Mono, Paiute, and other groups, occupying much of the Great Basin and South Eastern California.Between 890 and 900 A.D., a severe drought forced the groups to move, with one group, the ancestors of the Northern Paiute, traveling along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada to seek relief from the drought.They eventually traveled over the crest where they traded with the ancestors of the Yokuts Indians, who had moved up the western slope to escape the drought.When the drought ended, the Yokuts went back to the Central Valley, which had turned into a lush wetland rich in plant and animal life, and the ancestors of the Western Mono, began to settle on the western slope.

Social organization

The Western Mono social structure is based on the tribal group, which is divided into patrilineal lineschildren inherit their fathers totem.A totem, usually an animal, represents each of these lines.Members of each lineage play specific roles in the community.Those from the Eagle lineage serve as chief, while those from the Dove lineage may serve as messengers of the chief.These lineages could be divided into two groups called moieties or clans.Each of these divisions could have a chief.The chiefs function was to act as an advisor, decide upon the time for ceremonies, and to see that everyone had adequate food and shelter.But he did not have absolute power.There was no hierarchy; members were looked upon as equals.

Marriage and Family

Parents arranged marriages for their children that were often within the clan, but marriage between relatives was prohibited.After the couple was married, the man lived with the womans family until the birth of the first child when they would move into the husbands village.Families were often extended, including paternal grandparents, and occasionally other relatives.However, a taboo prohibited communication between same sex in-laws.The number of children was limited to maintain a balance with resources; women used certain plants for birth control. Prenatal taboos in which the parents would abstain from meat, salt and hard food to protect the babys health were sometimes practiced.The restriction could continue for both parents after the baby was born, or the mother might continue with the diet for three months while the father began a normal diet after the birth.Between 10 and 30 days after birth, the family gathered for the naming ceremony.The paternal grandmother passed the baby through the hoop in its baby basket, and gave the baby its name.

Death

Death was accepted as a normal part of the life cycle.The Great Horned Owl was said to be the messenger of death who speaks the names of those who will soon die. When someone was thought to be dying, relatives were summoned and a professional singer sang outside the house at 6am and 4pm until burial.The body was buried two days after death, head facing west where the spirit would travel two days until reaching the land of the dead.Singing and dancing helped the dead leave their loved ones and begin their long journey.

Spirituality, Shaman, and Ceremony

The Western Mono believed that totemic spirits possessed supernatural powers, and that these spirits guided their people.Some people who possessed exceptional skill, such as hunting, were said to have special powers.Shaman had supernatural powers that were acquired from a dream helper, usually an animal.They had the ability to heal as well as sicken, and they performed in ceremonies or rituals.The Western Mono celebrated several annual ceremonies that included the Rattlesnake Ritual, the Bear Dance and the Annual Mourning Ceremony.The Rattlesnake Ritual took place in the spring when the rattlesnakes emerged.The shaman predicted who would be bitten that year, and provided a preventative cure.The shaman themselves were bitten by rattlesnakes as part of the ceremony, but were always treated and suffered no ill effects.The Bear dance was held in the fall before the bears went into hibernation.It was performed by the members of the Bear lineage to ensure the well-being of the members.The Annual Mourning Ceremony, also held in the fall, was a large gathering that lasted six days and nights.In preparation, mourners collected food and gifts that would be distributed during the ceremony.Along with singing and weeping, there were games and trading, and finally the cleansing and dressing of the mourners in new clothes.

Food sources

The Western Mono did not have livestock or practice agriculture, but were a semi nomadic hunting and gathering society that traveled to different elevations depending on the season and availability of food sources.The Western Mono were completely integrated with their surroundings, and looked to nature to give them signs as to when it was time to beginning hunting or fishing.Rather than consult a calendar, they looked to nature for signs such as the song of a certain bird or the emergence of catkins on the elm that told them it was time to hunt or gather.

Hunting and Fishing

Hunting was mens work.The night before a hunt, the men cleansed themselves in the sweathouse, dove into the creek, and then coated their bodies with pungent herbs so that their prey would not detect them.Deer meat was an important staple.The hunters disguised themselves for the hunt by wearing antlers, cloaking themselves in deerskin, and painting their legs white like the forelegs of the deer.Men hunted with spears that were placed into a spear thrower that used leverage to increase throwing power.They also used the bow and arrow.Spear and arrowheads were made of obsidian that was obtained through trade with the Eastern Mono. Some of the deer meat was roasted; drying on racks preserved the rest.Small game was hunted with traps.The Western Mono also fished using spears, traps and weirs.

Gathering

Gathering was an important communal activity in which both women and children participated.There were a wide variety of food that could be gathered such as manzanita berries, gooseberries, seeds, mushrooms, beetles, and various larvae.Acorns and pine nuts were staples of the Western Mono diet.While pine nuts were available on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, pinyon nuts from the east side were preferred.Women and children gathered acorns once they had fallen to the ground.Each family had its own gathering place.Once the acorns were gathered they were stored in conical granaries until they were processed.

Structures

Dwellings varied with available resources.Some structures were similar in style to those used by their neighbors to the west, the Yokuts.These structures include a conical thatch-covered structure and oval grass covered structures. Mono groups who live at higher elevation, like the North Fork Mono lived in conical bark houses.Each village usually had one sweathouse that was used only by men as a gathering place and for cleansing.The floor of the sweathouse was about four feet below ground, and had a bark roof that rose about three feet above ground.Outside of the sweathouse, rocks were heated until they were white hot and carried inside with sticks.Water was poured over the rocks to create steam.

Dress

Men wore deerskin breechclouts and women wore skirts; children went without clothing until puberty.When the weather turned cold both men and women wore a of rabbit skin blanket or a cape made of tanned skin.Men, women and children went barefoot in mild weather.Sandals were worn during long journeys in hot weather, and moccasins were acquired from the Eastern Mono for use in cold weather.Both men and women wore adornments.Necklaces made of shells were acquired in trade with coastal Indians.They pierced their earlobes to wear feathered quail bones.Face paint was used for special ceremonies and ritualseach lineage had its own markings.Both men and women wore facial tattoos.

American Settlement

The Western Mono were not directly impacted by the Spanish and Mexican settlements which were located along the coast.However, the Gold Rush brought and end to the Western Mono way of life.Prospectors invaded the foothills and mountains, bringing disease, and sometimes killed and enslaved the Indians.The Gold Rush created a need for agriculture and resources, so herding and the lumber industry moved up into Western Mono land.Settlers fenced in land where Indians had once traveled and gathered food. California became a free state in 1850, however, this freedom did not extend to the Indians who continued to lose their freedom.Laws were passed that allowed Indians to be declared as vagrants, allowing them to be forced to work for up to four months without pay.During this time, congress had also passed an act to allow three commissioners to negotiate treaties that would have given the Indians ten reservations on 7.5 million acres of land, cattle, and provisions.The Indians honored the treaties, but California legislators lobbied to defeat the treaty, and the senate secretly rejected it in 1852.The results were not known until 1905, and Indians lands continued to be lost during this time. Rancherias were formed in the early 1900s for landless Indians, but the struggle continued as the Indians faced assimilation and termination in which they lost much of their culture and many rancherias.A lawsuit reinstated the rancherias in 1983.Currently, there are two Western Mono rancherias, the North Fork Rancheria, and the Auberry or Big Sandy Rancheria.

Written By: Mary Ann Resendes
From: http://www.sierrahistorical.org/Mono%20Tribe.html .

Links

History of the Mono Indians: Big Sandy Rancheria
http://www.allianceofcatribes.org/bigsandy.htm
http://www.foothillchamber.com/mono.html
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