Show:
The First Californians
The Northern Coastal Region
The Southern Coastal Region
The Central Valley and Mountains
The Desert Region
100
Use the term "legend" to describe how California Indian tribes passed down their history.
Indian culture groups used legends to pass down the tribal history from adults to children.
100
Use the terms "ceremony" and "shaman" to describe how the Yurok honored Nepewo.
To honor Nepewo, the Yurok held a ceremony in which a shaman had to catch and eat the first salmon of the season.
100
Use the term "cooperate" in a sentence about Chumash government.
The Chumash government helped villages cooperate for the common good.
100
Use the term "specialize" to describe "division of labor" among California Indians.
People would specialize in a job as part of a tribe's division of labor. This made it easier for tribes to meet their needs.
100
Use the term "silt" in describing Mojave farming.
Silt is rich soil deposited by the Colorado River that is used in farming
200
How did the early people of California change their ways of life as their environment changed?
They hunted smaller animals and gathered more nuts, berries, and plants for food. They began to live all year in villages.
200
How did the Indians of the northern Coastal Region of California depend on the natural resources around them?
They used the natural resources in their area to build their houses, decorate their clothing, and supply material for baskets.
200
How did the Indians of the southern Coastal Region of California use both land and sea resources?
They dug for clams, caught crabs, gathered acorns and plants, and hunted animals. They also built canoes out of logs that washed ashore and used them in fishing.
200
How did the California Indians of the Central Valley and Mountain Regions depend on the natural resources around them?
They used wood from trees, tree bark, grasses, and tule to build houses. They gathered seeds, berries, roots, pine nuts, and acorns for food.
200
How did California Indians in the Desert Region adapt to their dry climate?
The Mojave people built homes with open sides in the summer. The Cahuilla people built their homes near streams.
300
How did the region in which a group of California Indians lived affect their use of resources?
California Indian groups used the natural resources available in their region to meet their needs.
300
What did California Indians in the northern Coastal Region use for money, and for what did they trade?
Shell beads; they traded for things they could not get from the resources around them.
300
Where were Chumash lands in relation to Gabrielino lands?
They were to the north.
300
Explain how the plants that grew in the Central Valley and Mountain Regions affected the kinds of homes people built there.
People built their homes with the materials that were available. For example, the coastal Miwok had cone-shaped homes with wooden frames, covered with grass or tule.
300
How were Mojave and Cahuilla ways of life different from those of other California Indians?
Because food was harder to find in the Desert Region, the Cahuilla and Mojave traveled to gather food and other resources.
400
From what you know about California's geography, why do you think different tribes developed different cultures?
Possibly because of different climates, landforms, and natural resources in California's different regions affected how tribes in each region lived.
400
What are some things that made the tribes of northern coastal California unique?
Strings of shells; the baskets, jewlry, and clothing they made; their homes; and their ceremonies.
400
How did ceremonies reflect the religious beliefs of California Indians?
The ceremonies showed how the Indians believed that they should live with each other, and reflected their relationships with their ancestors and their environment.
400
Some Miwok groups lived near the coast. How do you think the ways of life of the Miwoks on the coast were different from those of the Miwok who lived in the mountains?
Coastal Miwoks probably used more resources from the sea, such as sea mammals and shells. Coastal Miwoks also built canoes for fishing, trade, and travel.
400
How were the homes built by the Mojave well suited for the region?
Summer homes had open sides to cool them. In the winter, the Mojave made walls to keep their homes warm.