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Greetings!
November is Native American Heritage Month. I continue to learn more about the history, heritage, and current lives of our first peoples from this region.
The drawing from Jose Cardero was here in Monterey in 1791 while he served as cartographer and artist on the Spanish ship Descubierta. We often refer to the Native Americans of this region as Rumsien or Rumsen, along with Esselen or Excelen.
Growing up in Fremont, I knew of the term Ohlone as the Native Americans from the Bay Area (even attending Ohlone Community College!) but I was not aware that there were different tribal nations & villages from SF Bay Area down to Monterey Bay, with many different languages spoken throughout the region. Even one of the early film photos of me was at Coyote Hills in Fremont, site of the Tuibun Ohlone from the Chochenyo speaking peoples, playing in the tules. Every year the park hosts a Gathering of Ohlone Peoples to celebrate the past, present, and future.
You will often see the term Ohlone or Costanoan for the Native Americans throughout the Bay Area, but this is not truly a term local to this area. Costanoan or Costaños was initially a Spanish term meaning "coastal people" and Ohlone is not native to the local Monterey region - the term means "people" and comes from the San Mateo Oljon or Olxon village. From what I've learned, the abalone (aulun) of our shores were highly prized throughout Native peoples throughout what we now call California.
Where we live today in Monterey was known as Achasta, with nearby villages known as Ixchenta, Tucutnut, and Soccoronda. Many of the descendants of these villages still live in the region. I urge you to continue to learn something new this month about the past and present of the Native Americans of the Monterey region. You can hear the Rumsien Creation Story here but the Native American stories have continued through the 19th, 20th, and 21st century today. My way of celebrating this Native American Heritage Month is to continue to listen and learn through stories, read & reflect about history, and think about our collective future.
Warmly~
Brian
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