Major Tribes

• Paiutes
• Shoshone
• Makah
• Patwin
• Chumash
• Maidu
• Pomo

• inland tribes hunted lizards, rats and grasshoppers and gathered pine nuts, wild seeds and roots
• coastal tribes fished, especially salmon
• trade thrived along the coast

• hundreds of small tribes
• hereditary chiefs
• men could buy several wives
• wealthier Indians owned and traded slaves
• potlatch feasts

• barren, rocky deserts and large salt flats make human life nearly impossible
• coastal regions contained many rich sections
• abundance of fish, game, wild vegetables

• more than 100 distinct tribes and clans each with its own roots
• the environment discouraged population growth and restricted permanent villages
• scattered bands wandered the deserts, searching for food

• simple brush huts in the south
• rectangular log frame houses along the coast
• beautiful basketry, often decorated with feathers and shells
• baskets woven so finely they held water
• wood carvings
• music and dancing imitating animals and birds

• some tribes believed in a single creator of the universe
• first-fruits ceremonies thought to increase supply of wild crops and salmon
• young men drugged themselves to bring on visions of spirits
• great respect for the dead
• burned the houses and possessions of the dead tribal members
• religious leaders were thought to have magic powers

• Paiutes
• Shoshone
• Makah
• Patwin
• Chumash
• Maidu
• Pomo
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