Description
The Ohlone, formerly known as, are a Native American people of the Northern California coast. In pre-colonial times, the Ohlone lived in more than 50 distinct landholding groups, and did not view themselves as a single unified group. The Ohlone and other tribes throughout California became part of a group known as Mission Indians. Even though the natives were part of different villages, the Spanish gathered them together into one group. The Ohlone were treated as slaves. By the end of the mission period many Ohlone had died from forced labor and from diseases, such as smallpox.
Language
The Ohlone languages, also known as Costanoan, form a small Indigenous language family historically spoken in Northern California
Culture
The Ohlone built their shelters close to flowing water and every village had at least one sweat lodge. This structure was partially built underground. Acorns were an important part of the Ohlone diet, as they were for other California Indians. They collected other plant foods, such as seeds, nuts, fruits, and roots. They lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering, in the typical ethnographic California pattern. Before European contact, the Ohlone were not one tribe. They were organized by villages. These villages varied in size. They were made up of as few as 50 people or as many as 500. Each village had a chief, who lived in the largest structure in the village. The Ohlone were skilled basketmakers.