Food

The environment played an important role in the food of the Native Californians. For example, the coastal people known as the Ohlone ate shellfish such as mussels and abalone for food that they fished out of the ocean. The Shoshone who lived in the desert gathered and hunted the local bighorn sheep and deer, corn, pumpkins, and beans were also grown and eaten there. The hunters and fishers brought food from nearby rivers. Wild plants were also used for food. The Modoc people were hunters and gathers. They ate seeds, roots, berries, fish and other small animals. They lived near water and made rafts out of tule that they gathered. The Yokuts lived in the Central Valley, and they settled near water. They gathered all types of berries and acorns, and lived off the land. The men fished and hunted and the women did the cooking. This is important because the environment affects almost anything!