Encinitas: Our History and People

coyotes and the wild cats, best described as
fraternal orders. Marriage had to be with a
member of the opposite group.
Hakutl residents, as with other San Diego
natives, cultivated and consumed the acorn.
This nutty seed of the oak tree provided their
diets with a calorie-rich staple. Acorns were
soaked to remove the bitter tannins, dried and
ground on a stone to create a flour to make
nutritious porridge or patties roasted on a fire
heated rock. The acorn diet staple was
augmented with creek-side greens, berries,
roots and grass seeds, as well as game birds.
They hunted animals large and small from rats,
possums and rabbits to antelope, deer and elk.
The valley east of the Hakutl village held the
big game and the huge oaks produced bushels
of acorns. The wild back country valleys were
also grizzly bear and mountain lion habitats.
The bears were respected by The People as
equals and were not hunted. California’s state
flag carries the extinct grizzly bear’s image in
their honor, a surviving vestige of this native
cultural ethos.
Horticulture practiced by The People of
Hakutl included controlled burning to preserve
the oaks and to aid in grass seed collection for
trading and planting. A symbolic handful of
seeds were given to a bride when asked to marry.
Woman did most of the planting, harvesting and
gathering. Hakutl women would gather supplies
in a flexible bag each day with the natural
resources that provided about 65% of their diet.
Women did the food preparation as well as house
building and maintenance and production of
their clothing. In a society where all movement
was on foot, mobility and safety depended on
everyone being able to walk and carry something.
Bands of The People would gather at the coast
just south of Hakutl for the yearly Torrey Pines
G
Reproductions of early Native
American dwellings can be found at
the San Diego Botanic Gardens and at
the San Dieguito Heritage Museum.
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