Each local group had an older man, often times an old war chief, as the civil or community leader. He was responsible for advising the people on hunting practices and social decorum. In regards to religious indigenous practices, the Yavapai believed that they lived in the center of the world from which all plants, animals, and humans had entered the world by climbing the first corn plant from the underworld. The site of entry is known as Montezuma well, and it is from this sacred place that water is taken and used in ceremonies to bless people and belongings. Veneration of the sun, dream omens, and shamanism are also key aspects of Yavapai religion.
Shamans conduct healing rituals by singing, smoking tobacco, and sucking out bad blood.
Red Rock Mountain caves and the Cave of the First Woman in Boynton Canyon are believed to be the best places for ceremonial rituals and prayer. The basketry techniques of the Yavapai are among the most advanced and intricate traditions of cultures in the southwest. Not only created for aesthetic appeal, sturdy and lightweight basketry was the most important type of container in pre-reservation times. Tightly coiled baskets of the highest quality were produced for carrying, storing, winnowing, and roasting. The primary basket makers were women because baskets were utilized daily in women's everyday tasks.