image from "The Way it Was", see Works Cited below

Patwins

What are the Patwin Indians?
The Patwin was an Indian tribe that belonged to a larger group called to Wintun. Five other tribes were under them. They are the Ululatos in Vacaville, Libaytos along Putah Creek, Malacas in Lagoon Valley, Tolenas in Upper Suisun Valley and Suisunes in Suisun.

What are the Patwin's religious beliefs?
The main religion they believed in was people called shamans. Village people turn to them for spiritual help. They are the only people that are thought to inherit the power to speak the spirit - gods to a man relative such as a father, grandpa, uncle ect. They are mainly doctors that use herbs for curing sick patients. Some Shamans use a magic trick to pretend to pull the sickness of the patients out to make them feel better. Another religion was the Kuksu. This allowed secret groups to dress for ceremonial celebrations to worship their god "Kuksu" and other ghosts. Young people were only picked.

The Patwin's houses:
In the winter the Solano County Indians moved to the Rockville area. They would build hill like houses to live in. In the summer the Indians moved to the Suisun Marsh. They built dome shape houses. This is how they made the winter houses. First they dug a sunken floor of about 3 to 4 feet with a diameter of about 60 to 20 feet. Next a frame was made out of willow saplings and was covered with reeds and grasses. Finally they covered the whole thing with mud. This is how they built the tule hut, which is the summer home. First a frame was made out of willow branches and other trees. A tall plant that has fibrous leaves also helps make the frame. All this was stuck into the ground and tied at the top. The walls were made out of rushes or tall grasses bundled together and were laid over the frame. Inside earth was hollowed out to make a sunken floor. In this a fire would be built to keep the mosquitoes away.

What happened to the Patwin tribes?
The Indians died probably of small pox. This disease was brought by the settlers. Small pox was very contagious which made almost all if the Indians die out. That is what happened to the Patwin Indians.

Image of the Suisun Native America village used from the book: "The Way It Was: A Program For Historic Preservation", A book prepared by the Department of Environmental Affairs, City of Fairfield, California, March 1975

"The Historic ABC's Of Solano County", written by Jackie Albright and Jackie Lillis Illustrated by Tina Akuda. Published by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, 1997

Boule, Mary Null "California Native American Tribes PATWIN TRIBE" published by Merryant Publishing, Vashon, Washington, 1