Wetlands played a very important role in Native American economies. Water, always an important necessity in the desert, was available in marshes for much, if not all, of the year. Wetlands supported dense stands of cattails, tules, rushes, and other plants useful in making dwellings, watercraft, basketry, matting, and other tools. These plants also produced edible seeds, rhizomes, tubers, and other plant parts that were plentiful, easily collected, tasty, and nutritious.

A variety and large numbers of seasonally available wetland insects, fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals were eaten, and some of these animals provided skins and feathers for clothing, decoration, decoys, and cordage. Wetlands yielded primary food resources from spring to late fall.

Wetlands provided Native Americans with water, food, and raw materials, but they were not necessarily a pleasant place to live. Annual, winter and springtime floods play an important role in wetlands’ vigor but certainly detract from their suitability as a home site. The valley bottom locations for wetlands are prone to cold air inversions and fog in the winter months. In summer, mosquitoes and other biting insects abound in and around marshes. Marshes, lakes and streams were also home to the mythical water babies, creatures to certainly avoid.

Native Americans usually chose to live on bordering sand dunes or in the foothills located above wetlands in order to avoid these discomforts but utilize their bounty. Some prehistoric settlements, however, were well within the bounds of wetlands; the advantages of these locations, possibly defense, outweighed the annoyances.

Images below from the Marsh diorama