Native american wedding traditions in california

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Anyone can see the richness of California's Native American history, from house building to agriculture to marriage customs. Whether you want to learn Native American wedding traditions to incorporate them into your own wedding or for a school project, one of the best places to look is at reservation offices. Although some tribes protect their customs from the general public, many are willing to share their marriage rituals with outsiders.

1. Tribal Diversity

   • Before Americans moved to settle California during the gold rush, hundreds of Native American tribes called the land their home, among them the Cahuilla, the Serrano, the Chumash and the Wintu. Because so many Native American tribes ruled the landscape of present-day California, the number of wedding traditions varied widely along the length of the state. What one tribe found appalling, another practiced regularly. When researching Native traditions, first start with the tribe or region for which you want to learn wedding practices.

   Tongva Indians

   • The Tongva tribe, also called the Gabrielino, once inhabited all of Los Angeles County and most of Orange County, as well several islands off the shores of California. In the Tongva tradition, the bride was decorated with beads, skins, paint and flowers, according to California History Online. While singing and dancing, the bride's family and friends carried her part of the way to the groom's house. At the halfway point, the groom's family took over carrying the bride. At the end of the journey, they sat the bride next to the groom and emptied seed baskets on top of them, in hopes that the seeds would bring a fruitful marriage.

   Yucca Shampoo

   • The yucca plant, a member of the lily family, blooms throughout southern California during the summer and early autumn. Besides its uses in sandals and rope for Native Americans, certain southern California tribes used yucca in wedding traditions. First, the tribesmen used bowls and water to turn the yucca plant into a shampoo. At the wedding, the bride and groom washed each other's hair with the yucca sud mixture.

   The Headman

   • Although many Native American tribes were ruled by a clan chieftain, many of the California tribes did not know this political system. Instead, headmen were important figures in California tribes. Headmen made sure that their people retained their customs from generation to generation. They were also responsible for overseeing weddings and marriage, making sure that no wedding customs were broken by the couple.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: wedding traditions, Native American, American tribes, California tribes, Native American tribes, american wedding