The Cahuilla Indians By Patrick Finnan
Facts:
Food:
- Corn
- Beans
- Squash
- Cactus
- Mesquite
- Screw beans
- Piñon nuts
- Flowers
- Acorns
Here are some pictures of the food.
Clothing:
- Both genders usually wore sandals from deer hide or mescal
- Men wore loincloth of deerskin
- Women wore skirts from mesquite tree
This is what the sandals the Cahuilla made look like
Shelter:
- Often built near rivers or canyons for water
- Built near canyons to protect villages from wind
- Large domes
- Made from mesquite wood, bark, and leaves
Environment:
- Desert
- Very Hot
- Natural disasters such as heavy winds, floods, droughts, fires, and earthquakes
Symbols:
Region features, climate, and population
- Lots of sun
- About 2500 people
- Mojave desert
- Often 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer
- Average about 62.5 degrees Fahrenheit
Weapons/tools
- Bow and arrow made from willow or mesquite wood
- Flat throwing sticks when hunting small animals
- Mortars or pestles when grinding nuts or seeds
Rituals
Singing was very important to the Cahuilla. The people sang as they worked and played games. There was a special song leader who lead the tribe through the songs. Some of the songs lasted several days though. To play the songs, they used flutes, whistles, and rattles made from turtle shells.
Additional facts
- The name Cahuilla is Spanish
- There many Cahuilla still living in the Mojave Desert today
- The language they spoke was called the Cahuilla language
Five reasons why you should visit them
- If you don't like wind the canyon they live in takes away the wind so you can have a fair football game
- They have sandals so the rocks don't hurt your feet
- They also try to live near a river so you don't have to worry about no water
- Lots of sun so you can play most of the day
- you can visit the mountain tribes because they go up to the mountains to get resources/food
Thank you for watching!
Resources
- California studies weekly week seven
- Reflections
- Fact cards.califa.org
- Bigorrin.org
- Fofweb.com
- Www.usclimatedata.com
Created with images by Alberto Carrasco Casado - "Mohave desert, US (2011)" • Dan4th - "060801bow1" • Fæ - "Portrait of Captain Luis Torres, husband of Juana Torres and head of the Coahuilla Indian tribe at Torres (CHS-2297)" • Fæ - "Portrait of Jose Pedro Losero holding a cane, Soboba Indian, California, ca.1894 (CHS-4744)" • Fæ - "Coahuilla Indian woman, Maria Los Angeles, a basket maker, ca.1900 (CHS-3825)" • Fæ - "Agua Caliente Indian man, Cibinoat, at Warners Hot Springs, ca.1900 (CHS-3827)"