Social Effects Of The Southern Valley Yokuts

Sustainability involves the ability to be self-sufficient, as well as maintaining the natural environment around one. Native American groups could fully utilize the environment around them and cause little damage to their surroundings. Such sufficiency gave groups the ability to flourish, and establish large communities. Today there are many people who still maintain a self-sufficient lifestyle, however external factors have limited their abilities. These factors relate to social justice, which is described as a distribution of wealth, opportunities and privilege in society. Native American groups have had much of their freedom taken away, being driven off their land, having their means of income reduced, and overall being marginalized within

In California, one group that has seen many effects are the Southern Valley Yokuts. The Southern Valley Yokuts lived in the area of Tulare, Kern, and Buena Vista Lakes (), these lakes often connected and were spread out through the central valley connecting the groups through water transportation (Pruett, Fleagle, Murphy). This connection allowed them to trade with other groups throughout California giving them access to pottery, baskets, and obsidian (). Also, due to the marsh area they could hunt waterfowl, fish, and terrestrial animals of the area (). Since they had a large access to water the Yokuts created semi-permanent settlements, with homes consisting of a nuclear family, and they even had communal homes were up to 10 families could live in at a time (Sutton, Gardner, Gobalet). Families

Due to the area where they live the Havasupai had many confrontations with other groups in the area as well as white settlers who came later. Groups they had tense relations with were the Yavapai and the Western Apache, due to raids. The Havasupai depended on summer agriculture and hunting and gathering during the winter. They had corn, beans, and squash (). After historic times they raised horses() trade was important with the hoppi the Navajo and walapai and Mohave thye gave food and badksets for cotton horses pottery(). Division of labor was not enforced but men primarily worked in clothes production and women made jeweltry, mats, baskrts, and pottery(). Family importance was nuclear and extended and while blood kin being married was forbidden they did not keep track and often distant cousins were free to marry(). Men wore a shirt, breechclout, leggings, mocasins-women wore short apron, long buckskin dress, moccasins, and kids went naked until 6 or 7 (). Havasupai were not strictly religious but did fear going out at night due to fear of