Kitanemuk

Kitanemuk communities occupied the Tehachapi Mountains and the western Antelope Valley, linking mountain and desert environments. Villages stood along Tejon, Paso and other creeks. Acorns and pine nuts were important foods, while gathering trips reached the drier country in cooler weather. Trade connected them with Chumash neighbours and other peoples; polished clamshell beads brought from the coast served as money.

In 1776 Francisco Garcés travelled through the region. His account described a large square communal building associated with the Kitanemuk, later interpreted as family rooms arranged around a courtyard. Spanish mission expansion soon disrupted this village world. By 1800 many Kitanemuk had been taken into San Fernando and San Gabriel missions, weakening their home settlements and drawing people into the colonial labour and religious system.