Delta Yokuts fished for sturgeon and salmon from tule boats using nets stretched between two hand-held poles. They used beaver and otter skins for clothing, and their teeth for tools, necklaces and ornamentation. Ducks and geese were especially plentiful. Women wore clothing made of feathered skins of swan, pelican, geese, ducks, and coot.

The Plains Yokuts fished for salmon in the San Joaquin River, and hunted elk and antelope in thefoothills. They held regular jack rabbit drives.

The Lake Yokuts use tule for almost everything; their houses, baskets, mats and boats. Their houses "resembled a long, wedge-shaped tent. Poles having a crotch in the top were set in the ground in a straight line at intervals of about 8 or 10 feet. In these crotches were laid straight poles which formed a ridge against which other light poles were leaned. Small branches were cut from the upright posts and leaning poles, leaving stubs 3 to 4 inches long. These stubs were used as hangers for clothing and all kinds of camp equipment...Against this supporting framework were laid the tule mats, the fiber of the tules standing upright." (Latta 1949: 244) The Lake houses were sometimes as long as 400 feet and housed a dozen or more families. These houses were used by the Apiche, Tache, Nutunutu, Wechilkit, Chunut, Wowol, Tuhoumne, Halaumne, Tulumne, Yowlumne and Paleumne. The dance house of the Kawatchwa Yokuts near Los Banos was more than 90 feet in diameter. Lake Yokuts lived on clams, fish, racoon, otter, waterfowl, elk, antelope, jackrabbits, small seeds, grass nuts, tule seed and roots.

The River Yokuts, such as the Nuntunutu, the Wukchumne, the Talumne and the Gawea lived by the tributary streams of the San Joaquin, on the plains and hills dotted with oak groves. They used a snare to take jackrabbits.

Mourning Ceremony

Lonewis Offerings "As the mourners danced and sang and cried and the Ahnanich (paid singers) sang, the people threw beads and (supernatural) projectile points on the dance ground as payment to Tihpiknits for the spirit of their departed to cross the last river on the way to Tihpiknits' Pahn, located somewhere in the direction of the setting sun." (Latta 1949 226-7)

Leadership

"Each Yokuts tribe was ruled by at least one chief. There were sub-chiefs at all larger villages. Each chief had at least one winatun or secretary. The head cheif lived at the principal or head village. In Yowlumne territory this was Woilu on Reeder Hill, where now stands the Santa Fe passenger depot in Bakersfield. " (Latta 1949: 284)

Travelers

"The chiefs of these villages placed a winatun at a point where the trails entered the village. It was the responsiblity of the winatun to meet all aproaching travelers, to learn who they were, what was their business and, if possible, to give them what information was necessary and to send them on their way. If the traveler was not so easily disposed of, then it was the duty of the winatun to conduct him to the chief. After the interview with the chief, it was the duty of the winatun to conduct the traveler to the edge of the village, to bid him goodby, and finally, to make sure that he left the area." (Latta 1949 284)

During flood years it was possible to go by boat from San Francisco to Fort Tejon. This actually occured in 1852.

Most of this material is from Handbook of the Yokuts by Frank Latta, Bear State Press, 1949.

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