Cultivating an Abundant San Francisco Bay Chumash Story

Cultivating an Abundant San Francisco Bay Chumash Story

1) In your opinion, what are three things that make California stand out from the other 49 states?

2) According to your textbook chapter and week #1 PowerPoints, who were the California natives? For example: tribes, customs, language, etc.

Summary of Week #1

California’s land mass, climates, and other physical features were shaped largely by Pacific forces, and these features profoundly influenced the state’s subsequent human history. The earliest human inhabitants migrated from Asia’s Pacific Rim in watercraft and afoot, and lived mainly in coastal areas, adapting their cultures – especially their foods, dress, and tool-making – to a hospitable marine environment. This was less true, naturally, for tribes living in the interior regions, though trade between coastal and hinterland Indians remained brisk throughout most of the pre-European contact period.

California’s tribes were severely provincial, as evidenced by the scores of languages and hundreds of dialects they spoke, making communication between these linguistic groups extremely difficult.

Anthropologists give the physically healthy California Indians high marks not only for living in an ecologically sustainable manner, but also for their artistry, especially seen in their basketry and petroglyphs.

Alfred L. Kroeber, an early researcher of California’s native peoples, attained a national reputation and helped shape the field of his expertise throughout most of the twentieth century. Among all of California’s Indian groups, the Chumash developed the most advanced maritime culture, based on a trade network that extended in many directions beyond the present boundaries

if the state. In addition, their economy embraced a Greater California.

Aside from Paleo-Indian seafarers, California may have been visited by Polynesian and Chinese Pacific-crossers centuries before the arrival of Europeans in the province. Much more evidence, however, will be needed to substantiate the likelihood of Polynesian and Chinese transpacific visits to California before the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s.

Saving the Bay – Cultivating an Abundant San Francisco 

Bay Chumash Story: The Rainbow Bridge

Reply 1

1). I would say that the first fact that makes California stand out is our population. Out of the 14 counties that are in Southern California, it is bigger than Illinois, Iowa, Alabama and six New England states which I find crazy. The second thing that makes California stand out is our natural disasters, particularly earthquakes and the San Andreas Fault System that spans 780 miles. The third is our seasons or weather patterns. I think California is relatively warm all year, especially towards Southern California. Living in Northern California I have always enjoyed the seasons and weather which is balanced.

2). After reading pages 1-20 and looking at the map of California which showed what tribe occupied each part of California, one of the native tribes was the Chumash tribe which were located on the coast of Southern California. This tribe created houses using poles pulled up together to form a semicircle and bound at the top to secure it. Chief Solano of the Suisunes had his followers learn the Spanish language from the missionaries. The Shasta tribe in the upper part of Northern California and the Pomo Tribe also in Northern California consumed crushed acorns with salmon and nuts as nutrition. These tribes also ate boiled green leaves and roasted roots as food which were native to California. Penutians was also another language that was spoken by Native Americans.The Hupa tribe occupied the northwest part of California. Indian customs in California included ball games and guessing games which were popular.

Reply 2

1) three qualities that make California stand out include its geographic diversity, abundance of resources and population size. As stated in the book, California has some of the most varied geological features within a state. California’s biomes range from chaparral to desert to coniferous forest, making for a great variety of resources. Lumber, oil, and gold have been extracted for profit and new sustainable technology has also taken off in this state, such as wind and solar energy.

2) The California natives are people who are indigenous to this land, and despite colonization are still practicing their cultures and traditions today. According to the book, these tribes consist of many different tribelets, and there would often be great dialectic variation even in neighboring communities. Prior to colonization, these tribes had organized societies that had roles for the man and woman, ceremonial practices involving song and dance, and a trade system among other tribes. These tribes used all of their surrounding resources to produce the food, shelter, tools and clothing they used in their lifestyle. Also prior to colonization, Native peoples would use herbal medicine practices for any sickness, it wasn’t until the arrival of Europeans that Native peoples would endure mass population decline due to illness.

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