There were probably more than 100 Native American tribes in California before non-Natives came to the region.
In their own minds, however, California Indians probably did not consider themselves part of a tribe. Because their settlements were so isolated, they thought of themselves more as members of a village or of a small group of neighboring villages (sometimes called a tribelet) than as members of a tribe.
All people in a small California Indian village were generally treated as equals. Each village or tribelet had a leader, but this person had little real power.
One notable exception was the Chumash, who lived on a 250-mile stretch along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. In large plank boats, the Chumash frequently traveled from village to village to trade or see relatives.
This constant contact made the Chumash people far more unified than most California tribes.
Related Posts
-
Which Native American tribes originally lived in the Southeast?
The center of the Southeast, including what are now the states of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, was the home of many large Indian groups, such as the Cherokee, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw,…
-
What were the largest Native American tribes in California?
Many Native American tribes lived in central California between the great mountains of the Sierra Nevada range and the Pacific Ocean. The homelands of the Pomo, Salinan, and Chumash were along the coast,…
-
How did meeting non-Natives affect California Native American tribes?
The most important, and most devastating, effect was the Native Americans' exposure to European diseases, such as measles, cholera, and smallpox. These diseases killed Native Americans throughout North America, but they were especially…
-
What happened to California’s landless Native Americans tribes in the late nineteenth century?
In the late nineteenth century, a few reservations were established for the many California peoples driven off their land. Life at these reservations was difficult, so poor and homeless Indians began looking to…
-
How did the Iroquois fight other Native American tribes?
Although the members of the Iroquois Confederacy pledged not to war with one another, they were often ferocious in battles with other tribes. The Iroquois often fought against neighboring Algonquian and Iroquoian tribes,…
-
What is federal recognition and Why is federal recognition important to Native American tribes?
An Native American group has federal recognition when the U.S. government defines it as a tribe. Having federal recognition is important because only federally recognized tribes can receive certain funds and benefits reserved…
