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How did northwestern California world-renewal ceremonies use costumes and valuable objects?

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Map of California and surrounding areas showing the traditional homelands of Indigenous peoples, with tribal names such as Miwok, Pomo, Chumash, Yokut, Shastan, Mojave, and others labeled within outlined regions across the state.
Indigenous peoples of California

In northwestern California, world-renewal ceremonies—such as the white-deerskin dance—served as vital communal rituals that reaffirmed the orderly relationship between humanity and the supernatural.1

These ceremonies utilized the display of costumes and valuable possessions, such as white deerskins or delicately chipped obsidian blades, to reaffirm social ranking within the community. By showcasing these items, participants reified or restructured social relationships, while the successful execution of the ritual reinforced the connection between the human and supernatural worlds. Unlike some other religious systems in California that relied on formal organizations, these northwestern rituals were informally structured and centered on the recitation of privately owned myths.1