| |  Native
Americans, especially the Mono Lake Paiutes and the Yosemite
Indians, have been living off the land at Mono Lake for
hundreds of years. They have learned how to use their
surroundings and have adapted to their own lifestyle. When
the city of Los Angeles decided to use the streams they live
off of to transport fresh water to Southern California, the
Indians were forced to adapt to a completely different
lifestyle. The lack of electricity and plumbing made it a
hard transition for them. Their fresh water streams dried up
and Mono Lake became extremely salty, causing a lack of
fresh water for its inhabitants.
 Mono
Lake Paiutes used arrowheads to hunt ground animals such as
squirrels and snakes. Since no fish lived in the lake, the
Indians ate Alkali flies and their larvae. They gathered the
Alkali fly larvae in hand woven baskets that the women
carried on their backs. They had plenty of flies and Brine
shrimp to eat when they returned home.
Most
of the Indians remaining in the Mono Lake area live in one
room dwellings. These shelters are called wickiups.
Something that is special about these houses is the thatched
roof that insulates heat from the cold mountainous climate.
The Indians also developed digging sticks that are used to
scrape away dirt. Each village shows unity by taking part in
pow wows, or meetings, to celebrate a marriage or other
social ceremony.
The
men of the Owens Valley Paiute tribe hunt in groups, all
year around. They don't waste any part of the animal. They
even use the bones as tools or as weapons. The women gather
and plant plants. Their typical planting crops are corn,
squash, pumpkins, beans, and sunflower seeds. They are also
skilled at basket weaving and the raising of children. The
children are taught games to improve their hunting skills so
they can become good members of society. They also take care
of their elders. Education of the Paiutes varies within
regions. In some tribes, the men teach the boys how to be
hunters and the women taught the girls how to be effective
mothers. The elders told stories and passed down
legends.
The
Northern Paiutes speak a Shoshonen dialect. The Southern
Paiutes speak Numic. Some of them also speak Ute-Aztecan.
There are different dialects of the Paiute language in the
Owens valley. Although they are very diverse, they all have
one similarity. All dialects have vowels and consonants that
sound similar to English. This is probably because of
settler occupation in the Owens Valley in the 1800's
 There
are many customs and traditions in the Mono Lake Paiute
culture. Parents give children names relating to the totems
of their particular sides. Like other Miwok bands, the
Paiutes cremate their dead to liberate the spirit of the
deceased. Most of the dead person's belongings are placed
with the body on the funeral pyre. There are many different
ceremonies that remember the dead.
The
stories about Ahwahnee told by the Yosemites are the
Paiutes' means of explaining and ordering their world. They
tell stories for enjoyment during the cold winter and for
restating the history of the band. Three legends that tell
the origin of several features of Yosemite Valley are the
Legend of El Capitan, Legend of Lost Arrow, and the Legend
of Half Dome.
The
Paiute art that the people are strongest in is the art of
basket weaving. Although they are skilled in other arts such
as carving and making arrowheads, basket weaving is the most
efficient form of art because it is used when gathering
food. This art is commonly done by the women of the society.
The literature that is told within these tribes are myths
and legends that have originated from ancient times. Elders
usually take part in reciting the stories. The Music of the
culture is usually performed by men for dance rituals and
community meetings. In more recent times, however, some
women are taking over this field.
 The
Paiute religion has many aspects of worship. Dances are used
to worship the nature and other elements of nature. There
are also many ceremonies and rituals that are performed to
honor the natural spirits in the world. Wovoka, a popular
medicine man and prophet, raised the hope of the Paiute
people with his sermons. He also invented the ghost dance
which is a ritual that spans five nights. In addition, to
the lesser natural spirits, the Paiutes also believe in one
supreme creator. They believe the plants and animals are
parts of the spiritual and natural world. Another one of
their beliefs is that man is three parts; spirit, mind and
body.
In
the past the Paiutes had a leader called a chief, who was
put into power by the death of the chief and the son taking
place. He was the one who led the tribe in their trade and
was a major part of the government. The chief was present at
every meeting the tribe had. The government today is on the
reservations. The people vote for their leaders. They have
to be over 21 and have Paiute background. The offices are
chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary and treasurer.
The
major sources of income to the Paiutes in the past were
trades to the tribes who lived in the Yosemite region.
Today, though, they rely on tourism because of their
beautiful region that is great for camping vacations.
Businesses have seen this and started moving in, planning
out projects like the Paiute Palace Casino, mini malls, and
RV parks.
The
Owens Valley Lake Paiutes and the Mono Lake Paiutes are very
similar. One fact is that the Owens Valley Lake Paiutes were
more agricultural while the Mono Lake Paiutes were more of
hunters and gatherers. In the Mono groups the women were
responsible for the gathering of food including brine
shrimp, pine nuts, brine fly larvae, and mountain berries
and the men hunted for squirrel and other animals. The Owens
Valley Paiutes though mastered the art of domestication of
plants. The Mono Lake Paiutes didn't have much confrontation
with the settlers who came for agriculture. The Owens Valley
Paiutes were a bit more belligerent to the new settlers.
They did things such as steal horses and eat them. They also
got in fights with the settler and later were used as
laborers for the white landowners of the area. Actually in
fact the Mono Lake People never were in contact with the
settlers in the area. Also the Owens Valley and the Mono
Lake Paiutes never lived together. They possibly traded but
that's all they did in terms of interaction. Also the Owens
Valley Paiutes had different diets. They ate Deer, berries,
and other forest-based flora and fauna. As I said earlier
the Mono Lake Paiutes were more focused on the lake as the
source of their diet. The Owens Valley traded exclusively
with the Native Americans to the south while the Mono Lake
Paiutes traded much with the Yosemite Native Americans. The
Mono and the Yosemite groups also had people from both sides
who became couples. This wasn't done in the Owens Valley
Paiute groups. Although they have the same name of Paiute,
they have their differences.
Since
the streams have began to flow back into the lake, the
Native Americans will soon be able to return to their old
way of life. This includes practicing their same traditions
and once again living off the lake. Still the lake itself
will not be back to its original height, but this will be a
major step in the process of restoration.
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