Legacy of California's First People — Reading Comprehension

Native Americans lived in California for thousands of years before any Europeans arrived. These communities learned to live with the land. They used what nature gave to meet their needs. Each group, like the Chumash, Miwok, and Yokuts, built homes and tools from local plants and stones.

California’s First Peoples paid close attention to the world around them. They watched the seasons. They knew when to gather acorns, fish, or hunt animals. The Miwok people watched the salmon swim upstream. They built nets to catch fish at just the right time. The Chumash made strong canoes from tule reeds. These canoes helped them travel across rivers and along the coast.

Working together was important. Families shared their food and helped each other build homes. In hard times, people held meetings to make decisions for the whole village. The Yokuts lived near rivers. They made baskets to store food. Their baskets were so well made that they could hold water.

California’s First Peoples showed bravery by facing wildfires and droughts. They found ways to save water during dry years. When wildfires burned plants, they learned that new seeds would grow in the ashes. This helped make the land rich again. They taught their children to care for the earth and respect all living things.

Many of their ideas help us today. For example, controlled burns are used by forest workers. This comes from Native Californian knowledge. Their ways of working together and solving problems are models for us now.

Their art, music, and stories are still shared. “We belong to the land,” said a Chumash elder. “The land takes care of us, and we take care of it.”

Interesting Fact: The Chumash made paint from red rocks and shells to decorate their village caves.

Who built canoes from tule reeds?

Which group watched salmon swim upstream?

What did Yokuts make to store food?

Why did families work together?

How did controlled burns help the land?

What lesson did children learn?

The Chumash made paint from red rocks. True or false?

What does 'bravery' mean?