Native Ways

Native Ways. The Acjachemen and Tongva weave local resources into their culture.. , Orange County's early inhabitants, the Acjachemen and Tongva, have a history that dates thousands of years, long before the arrival of Europeans. Here in what is now called Saddleback Valley, grasslands and woodlands spread across the valley floor, not yet replaced by concrete and asphalt. Chaparral-cloaked foothills and forests still rise to the east. The coastal strand and ocean still beckon to the west. , Historically, these people found ample resources to sustain their lives and culture on this land. From mountains to coast, small game, birds, plants, and fish and shellfish supplied everything from food and fiber to medicine and musical instruments. , Each fall people harvested acorns from oaks and stored them in granaries like this one. They gathered the shoots of willow for basketry, the bark for skirts and other clothing, and the wood for making canoes, furniture, and houses like this kiicha. Constructed of willow branches and tules, a kiicha is a remarkably well insulated structure. , Many of the plants used by the Acjachemen and Tongva continue to enrich their culture. Today, tribal members still come together, gather plants, and keep their traditions alive. , Other Events , Circa 14,000 Years Ago , First people to inhabit North America, the Paleo-Indians, shared the land with ice age animals like mammoths, giant ground sloths, and saber-toothed cats. , Circa 8,000 Years Ago , People of southern California manufactured stone tools, mortars, and pestles to grind seeds. , Circa 1,500 Years Ago , Uto-Aztecan speaking people migrated to this land and developed communities that would crate the Acjachemen and Tongva culture.