Description
The Yokuts are an ethnic group of Native Americans native to central California. Before European contact, the Yokuts consisted of up to 60 tribes speaking several related languages. Another name used to refer to the Yokuts was Mariposans. The endonym "Yokuts" itself means "people. Yokuts life was rather peaceful, there were more than 60 tribes with an estimated 400-600 or more people in each tribe at the time of contact with the Spanish in 1770. The Yokuts were traditionally divided into tribelets, perhaps as many as 50, each having a dialect, territory, and name of its own.
Language
Yokutsan
Culture
In Yokuts culture men and women had different responsibilities. Men usually did the hunting, fishing, and building while the women gathered, maintained the home, and cared for the children. Divorce was not difficult to achieve and could be done for a number of reasons including affairs, laziness, and infertility. Art expression among the Yokuts included music, singing, and painting. Basket making was also a way for the Yokuts to show their artistic skills by weaving designs and images into the baskets. Other forms of expression were done on the bodies of the Yokuts, such as tattoos and piercings.