When the Spanish explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo arrived in what was to become Los Angeles in 1542, his ship anchored off Santa Catalina Island where it was greeted by a large canoe filled with Indian people who called themselves kumi.vit, and who would later be identified as the Gabreleño/Gabrielino-Tongva. The Gabreleño-Tongva occupied the area as … Continued
For the Native American people of Southern California, games and gambling were an important part of daily life. There were a number of gambling games which involved dice and games which involved guessing which hand held a marked stick or bone. In their book The Cahuilla Indians of Southern California, Lowell Bean and Harry Lawton … Continued
Subsistence refers to how people obtained the calories which are needed to sustain life. Subsistence patterns are determined, in part, by the environment and the resources within that environment. In general, Southern California Indians have been classified as hunters and gatherers, meaning that they tended to obtain food from hunting and from gathering wild plants. … Continued
While the Plains Indian feathered headdress has become the stereotypical image of American Indian headgear, there is little awareness of the headgear worn by Indian women. In the far west—in the Northwest Coast, Plateau, and California culture areas—Indian women wore basketry caps. The Maryhill Museum of Art near Goldendale, Washington, has a collection of California … Continued
The Cahuilla homeland in California was bounded on the north by the San Bernardino Mountains; on the south by the northern Borrego Desert; on the east by the Colorado Desert; on the west by the present-day city of Riverside. The term Cahuilla is said to mean “masters” or “powerful ones.” As a tribal designation, Cahuilla … Continued
Throughout the world it is common to find ceremonies in which the participants seek to renew the world, its resources, and thus continue their prosperity and good fortune. Among the Indians of Northern California—Karuk, Yurok, Hupa, Tolowa, Wiyot –the World Renewal or Big Time ceremony seeks to renew the world through a series of complex … Continued
One of the displays in The Cahuilla Continuum exhibit in the Riverside Metropolitan Museums shows some of the material culture associated with traditional Cahuilla daily life. The Cahuilla homeland in California was bounded on the north by the San Bernardino Mountains; on the south by the northern Borrego Desert; on the east by the Colorado … Continued
California Indian baskets are often considered the best in North America, and Pomo baskets are generally considered to be the best of the California baskets. In his book Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Carl Waldman reports: “The Pomos created their beautiful baskets for functional purposes, but collectors now value them as works of fine art. … Continued
The California culture area has the widest variety of native languages, ecological settings, and house types of any North American culture area. The shaded area on the map shown above displays the California culture area. Basketry was, and still is, important to the California Indians. In his book Indians of Lassen Volcanic National Park and … Continued
The California culture area has the widest variety of native languages, ecological settings, and house types of any North American culture area. The shaded area on the map shown above displays the California culture area. Basketry was, and still is, important to the California Indians. In his book Indians of Lassen Volcanic National Park and … Continued
