The Ohlone Way : Indian Life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area

Two hundred years ago, herds of elk and antelope dotted the hills of the San Francisco-Monterey Bay area. Grizzly bears lumbered down to the creeks to fish for silver salmon and steelhead trout. From vast marshlands geese, ducks, and other birds rose in thick clouds "with a sound like that of a hurricane." This land of "inexpressible fertility," as one early explorer described it, supported one of the densest Indian populations in all of North America.One of the most ground-breaking and highly-acclaimed titles that Heyday has published, \_The Ohlone Way \_ describes the culture of the Indian people who inhabited Bay Areas prior to the arrival of Europeans. A look at what Native American life was like in the Bay Area before the arrival of Europeans.Two hundred years ago, herds of elk and antelope dotted the hills of the San Francisco–Monterey Bay area. Grizzly bears lumbered down to the creeks to fish for silver salmon and steelhead trout. From vast marshlands geese, ducks, and other birds rose in thick clouds “with a sound like that of a hurricane.” This land of “inexpressible fertility,” as one early explorer described it, supported one of the densest Indian populations in all of North America.One of the most ground-breaking and highly-acclaimed titles that Heyday has published, The Ohlone Way describes the culture of the Indian people who inhabited Bay Area prior to the arrival of Europeans. Recently included in the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Western Non-Fiction list, The Ohlone Way has been described by critic Pat Holt as a “mini-classic.”Praise for The Ohlone Way“[Margolin] has written thoroughly and sensitively of the Pre-Mission Indians in a North American land of plenty. Excellent, well-written.” —American Anthropologist“One of three books that brought me the most joy over the past year.” —Alice Walker“Margolin conveys the texture of daily life, birth, marriage, death, war, the arts, and rituals, and he also discusses the brief history of the Ohlones under the Spanish, Mexican, and American regimes... Margolin does not give way to romanticism or political harangues, and the illustrations have a gritty quality that is preferable to the dreamy, pretty pictures that too often accompany texts like this.” —Choice“Remarkable insight in to the lives of the Ohlone Indians.” —San Francisco Chronicle“A beautiful book, written and illustrated with a genuine sympathy... A serious and compelling re-creation.” —The Pacific Sun **The culture of the Indian people who inhabited the Bay Area prior to the arrival of Europeans** Two hundred years ago, herds of elk and antelope dotted the hills of the San Francisco–Monterey Bay area. Grizzly bears lumbered down to the creeks to fish for silver salmon and steelhead trout. From vast marshlands geese, ducks, and other birds rose in thick clouds “with a sound like that of a hurricane.” This land of “inexpressible fertility,” as one early explorer described it, supported one of the densest Indian populations in all of North America. One of the most ground-breaking and highly-acclaimed titles that Heyday has published, The Ohlone Way describes the culture of the Indian people who inhabited Bay Area prior to the arrival of Europeans. Recently included in the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Top 100 Western Non-Fiction” list, *The Ohlone Way* has been described by critic Pat Holt as a “mini-classic.” Two hundred years ago, herds of elk and antelope dotted the hills of the San Francisco-Monterey Bay area. Grizzly bears lumbered down to the creeks to fish for silver salmon and steelhead trout. From vast marshlands geese, ducks, and other birds rose in thick clouds "with a sound like that of a hurricane." This land of "inexpressible fertility," as one early explorer described it, supported one of the densest Indian populations in all of North America. One of the most ground-breaking and highly-acclaimed titles that Heyday has published, _The Ohlone Way _ describes the culture of the Indian people who inhabited Bay Areas prior to the arrival of Europeans. Acknowledgments 5 Contents 7 Introduction 11 PART I: THE OHLONES AND THEIR LAND 15 Land and Animals 17 An Ohlone Village 23 Hunting as a Way of Life 33 The Deer Hunter 39 Almost Amphibious 46 The Acorn Harvest 51 The Seed Meadow 56 A Wandering Life 62 A Settled Way 68 PART II: LIFE IN A SMALL SOCIETY 75 Birth and Childhood 77 Marriage 88 A Life of Sharing 99 The Traders 105 The Chief 113 Warfare 118 PART III: THE WORLD OF THE SPIRIT 125 The Basketmakers 127 The Shamans 133 Sacred Time 144 The Island of the Dead 155 Dancing 160 PART IV: MODERN TIMES 165 The Last Two Centuries 167 Postscript 179 Afterword: 2003 181 Bibliography 189 Index 194 Draws upon research to imagine daily life among the Ohlone Native Americans in northern California before the arrival of the Spanish By Malcolm Margolin ; Illustrated By Michael Harney. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 179-183) And Index.