Shellfish and The California Tribes
Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Pacific Ocean provided the Indian Nations of California with an abundance of shellfish: clam, abalone, mussel, olivella, and dentalium. These provided not only food, but the shells were the raw material for beads, jewelry, currency, and fishhooks. Archaeology has found that clamshells – Saxidomus nuttalli and Tivela stultorum … Continued
