Settlement Pattern

Like the O'odham and the Yaqui, in pre-contact times the River Yumans had a rancheria settlement pattern. Houses of a single settlement might be spread out from one another by distances of as great as 1-2 miles, with the next nearest settlement some 4-5 miles away. Houses, which were placed on low rises above the floodplain, were low, rectangular structures constructed by covering an arroweed frame with a thick layer of sand and earth. Because of the heat, however, for most of the year the people slept under a ramada with their food stored in large baskets on its roof.

 

Picture shows River Yuman Indian House in 1900.

 

 River Yuman Indian House, 1900.

Source - http://sirismm.si.edu/naa/baegn/gn_02833a.jpg

 

Click on next page to continue.