Patwin Native Americans on Cache Creek

Among the original inhabitants of the Cache Creek watershed are the Patwin people: tribal knowledge maintains that the Patwin were created here and have belonged to this land forever. For over 10,000 years Cache Creek has been central to their life.  Their largest villages are concentrated along the creek, and trade routes follow the waterways. Cache Creek serves as a conduit for obsidian, abalone, and other trade items moving in and out of the Central Valley. The Patwin develop a sustainable land management system to sustain local populations. Plants from the riparian zone, such as tule, grape vines, and willow, comprise some of the main building materials. The Patwin also make baskets from willow, redbud, and sedge roots: today Patwin baskets are world-renowned.