This page gives a picture of the way Native Americans lived in California in the past. There is also some information about where the groups live today, and some information about festivals and places where artifacts are exhibited, as well as mention of contemporary artists. The map above shows language groups. To use the map, click on a colored area to go to a map of groups related by language, and then click on the color area to find the names of the groups, and once more to display text on that group. Or, you might prefer to access information by group name.
 
 

Where in the world?
Click here for a map of California's location in the United States.

This project was created using early ethnographic resources, and attempts to give a picture of what life was like for Native Californias at the time of European contact. Of course, although the ethnographers tried to understand what they saw and were told, they must have made mistakes. The best people to talk to about Native California are the California Indian people themselves. For information on the names of the California tribes and how to contact their Tribal Councils, go to the following web site: http://indy4.fdl.cc.mn.us/~isk/maps/ca/california.html is a good place to start.

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