THE CLOTHING OF MEN AND WOMEN NATIVE TO CALIFORNIA

 

With the arrival of the Jesuits to California, the creation of written history for the indigenous people of California began. Unfortunately, the cultures that existed in our lands never developed a writing system and therefore could not pass down their knowledge and history in their own words. While it is true that they created beautiful murals and petroglyphs, the information and interpretation of them is personal and does not have a defined standard.

From the Jesuit narratives about the customs of the ancient inhabitants of California, we can discern that all men went naked, without wearing any clothes to protect them from the harsh weather or dangerous thorns and animals in the area. What differentiated men from one tribe to another were the ornaments they wore. For example, the Pericues, inhabitants of the southern peninsula, wore long hair with pearls and white feathers woven into it. This type of ornamentation made them look like they were wearing a wig from a distance.

In the case of the natives of Loreto, they wore a small woven belt around their waist and a net on their forehead. Sometimes, some of the men made a necklace with red berries. Some priests believed that this custom was acquired by observing the rosary of some of the priests who came to California before 1697. It was also common for them to make bracelets and wristbands with these same red berries.

The Cochimíes, a tribe that lived to the north of Loreto, made shawls or headbands with pearl shells. The process of making them required a lot of time and experience, and it was a very complicated process. First, they carefully polished both the inside and outside of a pearl shell, then they cut it into strips and made holes at the ends. Then, they took these strips and passed a thread made of crushed mezcal until they formed a shawl. When they wore them, they looked very impressive as the dark color of their skin contrasted with the white of this accessory.

In the case of the Pericúes, they made shawls by interweaving small white seashells into a mesh. Once finished, they looked extremely stylish. Legend has it that when the pirate Francis Drake arrived at La Paz Bay, the natives gave him one of these shawls, causing Drake to think that they were presenting him with a scepter and a crown and naming him the king of their tribe. However, it is likely that this was just a made-up story since it is now known that Drake never landed in La Paz or anywhere else on the peninsula.

As for the women, they used a type of skirt made from shredded palm leaves or agave leaves to which they attached knots of reed stems. Usually, the women were in charge of making these garments, and they took great care in doing so. They were scandalized if they saw a girl whose lower body was not covered by a skirt. It is even said that the Pericú women made a skirt when they were pregnant in case their child turned out to be a girl. The women made their skirts by crushing palm leaves to make thread, then cutting off the "knot" part of the reed stems and discarding the rest. They would then pierce the knots and patiently interweave them to form a thread that went from their waist to just above the knee. Once they had made a large amount of these threads, they would attach them to a larger and stronger one, which they would tie around their waist to form a type of skirt consisting of three parts. Sometimes, the Pericú women would attach small figures made of mother-of-pearl, seashells, pearls, and berries to their hair. They also made necklaces and bracelets. It is worth noting that the Pericú people's skin color was lighter than that of most of the natives of California.

As for the Cochimí women, they also used skirts made from shredded agave leaves to which they attached knots of reed stems. The only difference was that their skirts were larger than those of the women from other tribes. Sometimes they used deer hides to cover the posterior part of their bodies.

Reference:

HISTORIA NATURAL Y CRÓNICA DE LA ANTIGUA CALIFORNIA - MIGUEL DEL BARCO.