Final answer:
Native Californians mostly followed a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, not a sedentary agricultural culture. Some groups practiced limited agriculture, like tobacco cultivation. They lived in semi-sedentary complex societies and engaged in rich cultural practices, unlike the agricultural societies in the Southwest.
Step-by-step explanation:
The notion that the Native People of California developed a mostly sedentary, agricultural culture due to the mild climate before European arrival is not entirely accurate. While the region of California was indeed one of the most diverse, with a variety of linguistic groups, the native populations mostly followed a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Agriculture was limited, with some groups cultivating tobacco as their sole crop. These peoples, including groups like the Miwok and Pomo, were part of large trade networks and had diets that importantly featured acorns, which were labor-intensive to prepare. Settlements and societal structures were semi-sedentary and could be complex, illustrating that there was not necessarily a linear progression towards agriculture as a superior form of subsistence. Furthermore, they engaged in rich cultural and religious practices, such as the male secret society of Kuksu in Northern California. The Northwest Coast tribes, such as the Tlingit and Chinook, lived in permanent villages due to abundant resources, and their societies managed to maintain their traditions until the late 1800s.
Contrasting with the Californian tribes, Native American groups in the Southwest were indeed agricultural, living in permanent settlements and farming crops like corn and squash. The arrival of Europeans, particularly the Spanish, significantly altered the way of life for these indigenous populations through war, disease, and new social structures. It's important to consider the diversity in subsistence strategies across different regions when discussing the native peoples of North America.