Ch 3 the first people of California Flashcards
Ice Age
30,000 BC Ice Age begins when the Earth’s climate became very cold.
glaciers
huge sheets of thick ice
bridge of land that joined northern Asia & North America
Beringia
When did the first people arrive in North America?
15,000 BC
When did Ice Age end?
10,000 BC
artifacts
are the tools, weapons and other objects left behind by people of long ago
archaeologist
scientists who find and study these objects
Native Americans have been living in North America for at least how many years?
12,000 years
diversity
range of differences
How many different cultures did the Calif Native American people create?
at least 100
Why are the different groups in Calif so diverse?
Wherever they settled, people used the natural resources around them to make their clothes, tools, and homes.
How many culture areas are there in Calif?
6
Name the 6 culture areas
Northwestern Northeastern Central Great Basin Southern Colorado River
heritage
is the history and traditions that a group of people share
powwow
a new kind of gathering which brought together groups from all over the United States
religion
set of beliefs
shaman
a religious leader and a healer
What tasks did most Native American men and women do?
Men usually hunted deer and caught salmon. Women usually did the work of gathering and storing plants, preparing meals, weaving baskets, and caring for the children.
What did 3 or 4 neighboring villages usually share?
They shared on leader or chief.
What role did the village chiefs plan in guiding their people?
He/she would ask the spirits for things the community needed.
Who lived in the Southern culture?
Chumash people lived near the beach, along the coast or on an island. They were expert boat builders and used a type of canoe called a tomol for ocean fishing.
What was life in a Chumash village?
- Large village - up to 1000 people living in about 100 homes.
- Fairly easy lives in finding food resources and natural materials for boat building.
- They were creative
How did the Chumash show their creative skills?
- Chumash carvers cut sharp knives, smooth bowls, and animal figures from stone.
- Chumash painters painted pictures of people, animals, birds, fish and insects on rock walls of caves and cliffs.
- Chumash weavers wove beautiful baskets to carry babies, store supplies and cook food.
How did the Chumash cook food in the baskets they made?
They were soak the basket in water to make the fibers swell first. Then they would fill the basket with soup or cereal and place several stones in a fire. Once the stones were hot they would be placed in the basket stirring them with the food to cause it to boil.
Use the chart to summarize information about California’s first people.
- Through studying 2. Calif 3. There are 6
artifacts, early main regions
archeologists people called culture
believe that learned areas in
Native Americans to live with Calif.
have been living resources
in North America of different
for at least 12,000 climates
years. creativing
diversity.
Who lived in the Central culture area?
The Yokuts.
Which was the largest of the culture areas in Calif?
The Central culture
Where was the Yokut’s territory?
San Joaquin Valley and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada
What was the most important natural resource in the Central culture?
The towering oak trees that produced acorns every fall.
Why were the acorns important?
Acorns could be ground into flour to make breads, biscuits, puddings, soups, and a kind of hot cereal called weewish.
granary
storage house
What were the homes that the Yokuts lived in?
Pit houses that were built partly underground to keep cool in hot weather and warm in cod weather.
How did the Yokuts make sure there continue to be a good supply of animal and plant food?
They burned parts of their land each year to keep the soil fertile. The fires also cleared brush leaving more land for animals. This was called land management.
wild game
animals such as deer and antelope
Use Venn diagram to compare and contrast three features of everyday life in a Chumash and a Yokuts village
- Chumash 2. Chumash & Yokuts 3. Yokuts
hunted sea Men responsible hunted
animals for for getting food, wild game
food using women responsible gathered
canoes. for making food. acorn and
practiced land
management
What natural resources were important to the Chumash and the Yokuts?
- Fish and sea animals were important to the Chumash for food.
- Wild game and acorns were important to the Yokuts.
What image did Chumash leave in a lot of their artifacts and why?
Images of birds may have been used to bring good luck for fishing.
What did the Condor bird represent in the Chumash culture?
It represented the finder of lost objects for the Chumash.
Many of carvings found in early Chumash sites survived. Why?
Because they were made from stone.
What made a Chumash house?
- Floor was dug out about 18 inches deep.
- Bent wooden poles formed the frame and a hole in the roof let the smoke out. Long weeds covered the outside frame.
- Doorways were covered with a mat of weeds.
- a fire at the center warmed the hut
economy
the way its people use the natural resources
needs
food, shelter and clothing people must have to live
trade
exchange
specialists
people who focus their time on an activity they do well
How did Native American groups get goods they needed or wanted?
They exchanged one kind of good for another, sometimes traded goods for strings of shells which were used as money.
wants
things they want but do not have
Who lived in the Great Basin culture?
The Northern Paiute.
Why were the Paiutes on the move?
They lived in challenging land where there were no oak trees to supply acorns. Food sources were not found in one place all the time. The availability depended on the time of year so people had to stay on the move.
- Summer - they found fish and water birds near shallow lakes.
- Fall and winter - they would climb the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to hunt mountain sheep and catch hares.
Since the Paiutes were on the move, what items did they use to help them survive?
Items such as a basket and water bottle to carry necessities.
What did the Paiutes harvest in the fall?
Pine cones from tall pine trees. They would set them on fire to release the nuts. Pine nuts was their diet during the winter.
Where did the Mohave people live?
They lived along the southeastern corner along the banks of the Colorado River. Today it is the desert area of California, Nevada and Arizona.
How did the Mohave people use their resources to survive the desert?
They practiced farming along the Colorado River by planting seeds after heaving rains in the Spring.
What kinds of vegetables did they grow?
pumpkins, squash and corn
What kind of bowls did they make?
They did not weave baskets because there weren’t enough reeds and grasses so they used clay found in their area to make bowls and cooking pots.
Why did the Mohave travel far from home to trade and make war?
The Mohave were specially trained to travel far and attack enemies. They often ran long distances as running was a practice in their culture. They also traded they clay pots and extra crops for wooden bowls, baskets and shell beads.
Compare and contrast lives of Northern Paiute and the Mohave.
Compare Contrast
1. both were on the move 1. for the Mohave
and often traveled war was part of their life
2. children helped with 2. the Mohave farmed
the natural resources the land
3. both caught fish
and small game
