Culture
- Food. Acorn was their staple food item which they pulverized to make soup, bread, and flour. ...
- Clothing. In the summer months, the men wore loin clothes made of deerskin, grass, or fibers of bark. ...
- Jewelry and Accessories. ...
- Tattoo. ...
- Houses. ...
- Tools and Weapons. ...
- Arts and Music. ...
- Religious Beliefs. ...
- Miwok Ceremonies. ...
- Games and Toys. ...
How did the Miwok make their clothes?
The animals around were the main source of material clothing the Miwok got from the wild. The animals had skin and fur which was great for making clothing like blanket, capes, aprons, belts, and bags. The Miwok women wore skirts made from leather or tule reeds.
What kind of food did the Miwok eat?
The Miwoks were hunter-gatherers. Miwok men hunted deer and small game and caught fish in the rivers and lakes. Miwok women gathered acorns and ground them into meal to make bread and fruits, as well as collecting berries, nuts, and other plants. Here is a website with more information about Native American recipes .
What are the different types of Miwok?
The Coast Miwok, the Lake Miwok and the Sierra Miwok. The Coast Miwok lived along the Pacific Coast (north of San Francisco from present-day Sausalito to Duncan's Point) The Sierra Miwok, who the largest group, lived to the western slope on the foothills and along the rivers of the Sierra Nevada
What type of clothing did the Miwok tribe wear?
Miwok men generally went naked, and Miwok women wore only short grass skirts. In mountain villages, though, women sometimes wore buckskin dresses instead and the men wore leggings and deerskin shirts.
How did the Miwok make their clothes?
What clothes did the Miwok men wear? The clothes worn by the Miwok men were limited to loin cloths woven from grass or bark fibers. In the winter months warm clothing was needed that were made from the hides of animals such as deer (buckskin), elk, squirrel, rabbit and wildcats.
Does the Miwok tribe still exist?
Today there are about 3,500 Miwok in total.
What name did the Miwok tribe have for themselves?
The Lake Miwok called themselves kó·ca, which also means “people”; they referred to themselves as Pomo, however, when they spoke English.
What was the Miwok natural resources?
The Miwok obtained food from the acorns they collected each year. They mainly used the acorns of the Black Oak in the Yosemite Valley. All acorns contain tannin, which is very bitter.
What tools did the Miwok use?
For hunting and fishing, the men had a range of tools. They used bows and arrows, spears, nets, clubs, snares, and baskets for fish and small animals.
What did the Miwok trade?
The Central Miwok, dwelling in the foothills near Knights Ferry, were in the habit of trading certain seeds for digger pine nuts from people who dwelt somewhat higher in the foothills. Fish taken and dried at Knights Ferry were traded for salt from people still higher in the mountains.
What language does the Miwok speak?
The Miwok or Miwokan languages (/ˈmiːwɒk/; Miwok: [míwːɨːk]), also known as Moquelumnan or Miwuk, are a group of endangered languages spoken in central California by the Miwok peoples, ranging from the Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada. There are seven Miwok languages, four of which have distinct regional dialects.
When did the Miwok tribe end?
In 1953, Congress passed Public Law 280, which turned over law enforcement on California reservations to state and county agencies. By 1958, the federal government "terminated" the recognition of Coast Miwok people as well as many other tribes.
Where are the Miwok people today?
Today, descendants of Ohlone and Coast Miwok peoples live throughout the Bay Area. Many are organized into distinct tribal groups. While participating in contemporary society, they are actively involved in the preservation and revitalization of their native culture.
How did the Miwok utilize deer?
The Miwok Indians took their deer hunting very seriously. Deer was one of the most important animals they hunted. A deer hunt could be conducted with a small group, or individually. When hunting individually, the deer was followed while the hunter wore a deer-head disguise.
What was the Miwok environment like?
They lived in semisubterranean pole- and earth-covered lodges and produced watertight basketry ornamented with beads or feathers. The interior Miwok—those of the Sierra and Plains—resided in the foothills and lowlands and generally moved into the high sierras only for summer hunting.