ABSTRACT
This chapter is organized thematically and chronologically, beginning with the context of the indigenous tribes in North America and then focusing on the Kutzadika'a Paiute of the Mono Basin in California. The inland central California Indians, particularly those living in the Eastern Sierra Mono Basin, were somewhat protected from outsiders due to the mountainous topography, harsh winters, and a seeming lack of natural resources. Interactions with non-Indians were brief and transient. There were a variety of tribes that lived or traveled in the Mono Basin area. This included the Mono Lake Paiutes, the Bridgeport Paiutes, and the Coleville Paiutes. The Mono Lake Paiute were known as Kutzadika'a, or 'fly eaters', in their native language. This is because they made a salty, protein- and calorie-rich soup or small biscuits from the dried pupae of the brine flies, called kutsavi, which are harvested from Mono Lake.
