California Indians
More languages were spoken in the California area than in any other area In North America. The languages they spoke were mainly of Aztec-Tanoan, Hodan, Macra-Algonguian, Penutian and Na-Dene language groups. Tribes consisted of a few villages of extended family. Most tribes were led by chiefs (mostly men). The chiefs gave advice about hunting, gathering and fishing.
The women also gathered pine nuts, mesquite beans, grass seeds, cactus fruits and berries. When the rare cold weather came the men and women donned robes made of rabbit skins or feathers to keep themselves warm. Some coastal groups hunted seals and other sea mammals. Men typically wore animal skin breechcloths and the women usually wore aprons or skirts. California Indians often painted their bodies for ceremonies. Housing varied greatly in the California area. Southern tribes had coned shape dwellings made of rush mats, brush or slabs of bark on frames made of tree branches. Northern houses were made of wooden planks. They hunted game like bighorn sheep, deer, elk and pronghorns. They collected clams and other shellfish along the Pacific coast. Then they cooked them and made acorn mush or bread. Women washed them and pounded them into flour. California Indians wore little clothing due to the lack of extremely cold temperatures.
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