California
I. Who were/are the
California peoples?
Many more than 250, some tribes seem to dominate the
literature because certain nonInidan people brought attention to them.
A. Environments
and ecozones of every sort from below sea level to 14,000 feet above sea level.
Most however, typified by oak woodlands.
1.
Resulted in dense peopling. Oldest occupation at least 10,000 B.P.
a.
Coprolites, textiles, mummy (willow leaf), packrat nests at Tommy
Tucker, etc.
b. Windmiller site at
Sacramento 10 miles in diameter.
c. Channel Islands and
Coastal Southern CA famous for stone works especially
pipes.
b.
Waves of successive occupation.
c. More
languages spoken here than in any other region of the continent.
i. Penutian spoken only in California.
d.
Ancient burials with many artifacts interred.
e.
Burning of personal goods upon death in Southern half during recent times
reduced numbers of artifacts found in burials.
2.
Relied on
annual and perennial seeds (mostly acorns), pine nuts, agave and yucca hearts, wokus (water lily seed), rabbit and rodents, undulates, waterfowl,
seafood for food.
a.
Nuts from oak tree most favored food.
i. Nearly 60 types of oaks
grow here.
iii. Gathered, hulled,
pounded, sifted, boiled.
aa. Shells removed,
seeds ground on metate.
iv. Usually eaten as a thick
cooked paste the consistency of grits or polenta.
v. Tannic acid, a
poison, must be removed.
aa. water poured
through to clean.
vi. Served as atole.
b.
Agave and yucca pit roasted
in semidesert and desert regions.
c. Wokus seed favored
in Klamath Lakes region.
ii. Harvested by
sweeping into boat with seed beater.
iii. Tiny seeds ground into
meal on metate.
iv. Griddled and
served as pancakes.
B. Architecture varied from north to south
1. Many preserved early occupations
cave centered.
2. Rectangular
wooden-plank semi-subterranean houses preferred in the northwest (maroon) .
3. Woven-tule mats or
brush over wooden-pole
cone-shaped frame in eastern basins. Winter homes in eastern mountains
cone-shaped, bark-covered pole frame (yellow).
4. Round,
semisubterranean bark/slab/shingled houses (pink).
5. Earth-covered
wooden homes used in Sacramento Valley (neon green).
6. Brush or tule
thatched domes preferred in the south (brown) (see photo below).
7. Extensive use of ramadas
(shade roofs).
C. Personal adornment varied by
season and region.
1.
In the South
a. Men, weather and activity permitting, wore nothing.
i. Wore a breechcloth
when needed.
ii. Always wore a tool belt
when traveling.
b. Women wore little
more.
i. Wore hats for
social recognition and for work.
ii. After age 2 wore
woven-fiber front and back aprons.
c. Both sexes used
additional adornment.
i. Woven rabbit-skin robes
for warmth.
ii. Woven fiber
sandals for travel.
iii. Skin
aprons/breech cloths for cold.
iv. Tattoos and body
painting.
v. Necklaces.
vi.
Hair centrally parted and braided or worn loose.
D. Fibers.
1.
Baskets are made in an amazing variety. Twined and coiled are both typical.
a.
Northern baskets tend to be twined.
i. A Karok
preferred twining.
aa.
Materials included pine root and hazel twigs;
maidenhair fern, bear lily, and Woodwardia fern used in
overlay decorations.
ii.
Shasta bought most
of their baskets from the Karok.
iii. Klamath baskets
twined cattail in shades of brown.
b. Central and Eastern
baskets may be coiled or twined.
i. Paiute made twined
willow and tule baskets in the East. Pitched water bottles, with narrow
necks.
ii. Washo - Easterners who coiled willow
baskets. Geometric isolated design forms.
iii. Pomo excelled at
coiled and twined baskets. Willow rod foundation, bracken fern root.
c. Southern baskets tend to
be coiled.
i. Southerners prefer
juncus over deer grass or more juncus.
ii. Patterns may be
pictorial or geometric.
iii. Pine needles,
sumac, willow, yucca, palm leaf also used.
iv. Twining reserved
for rough use baskets and hats.
2.
Tules (rushes and reeds) served many purposes.
a.
Boats made of cattail ropes binding tule bundles. Need only one tool. Lasted one season.
i. Used to harvest wokus.
b. Duck decoys made of
tules.
c. Made mats to sleep and sit on and to cover
house frames.
d. Dyed and used for baskets
of all kinds.
e. Made insulating
cold weather gear: gaiters, boots, capes, leggings.
3. Cordage made from
a. Indian hemp, agave, milkweed, tule, and yucca in south
and east.
b.
Indian hemp, tule, and milkweed in central regions.
c. Iris leaf and tule in
northern regions.
4. Brushes made from wild rye grass root
bundles.
E. Uses of trees.
1. Spears, harpoons, bows.
2. House-frame poles.
3. Harvesting poles, deadfall traps.
4. Tools.
5. Pitch
from piñon
pine used as hot glue and waterproofing.
F. Animal products.
1. Bones used as harpoon tips, scraping tools,
awls, game parts.
2. Hides made into buckskin, tanned with brains and spinal columns.
a.
Strips used to lash babies into cradle
boards. Covered frame of cradle board
for older baby.
b. Breechcloths and
aprons for cold.
c. Moccasins for
travel in the north.
d. Clothing made of
hides sign of higher status in Northwest and East.
e. Tool kits and
belts.
3.
Bird skins and feathers valued.
a. Duck skins used for decoys. Duck bones made into beads.
b. Acorn woodpecker scalps
used on ornamentation in Northwest.
c. Feathers applied to
baskets by Pomo.
d. Feathers attached
to clothing (usually male) all over state.
i. hawks, eagles,
crow, magpie, woodpecker, flicker, owl.
e. Grebe bills used as
awls.
f. Feather capes
(coot) used in rain and snow.
4. Rabbit skins used whole or made into ropes
and woven into blankets.
5. Antlers used to
flake arrowheads, spear tips, and knives all over state.
i. Elk antler purses
made to hold dentalia money strings.
G. Minerals and stone.
1. Red ocher pigment mined from Mount
Grant.
a.
Put on feet to scare rattlesnakes.
b. Cured and prevented disease (diaper rash).
c.
Rock art.
d. Arrow paint.
e. Body paint.
f. Ghost Dance clothing.
2.
Obsidian used for arrow points, spear tips and knives. (see antler above)
a. Most quarried in
Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain Ranges.
b. Used in Northwest
to show wealth and status.
3.
Porphoritics (granite, diorite) made into
metates and
manos and
mortars and pestles (see picture of mortar at left).
4. Deadfall traps.
5. Hunting blinds
and stone figures.
6. Magnesite carved
into beads which change from grey to orange when heated.
