Costanoan
The Costanoan, also known as the Ohlone, were indigenous peoples who historically inhabited the San Francisco Bay area, organized into about fifty autonomous tribelets with distinct villages. Their society was structured around patrilineal clans, categorized by a moiety system that recognized bear and deer groups. The Costanoan relied heavily on natural resources, with acorns serving as their staple food, supplemented by various seeds, berries, tubers, and hunted wildlife, including birds and insects for protein. European contact began in 1602, leading to significant cultural and demographic shifts, particularly during the mission period from 1770 to 1835, which resulted in severe population decline due to disease and the suppression of indigenous practices. By the mid-20th century, the Costanoan language had become extinct, but descendants united to form the Ohlone American Indian Tribe. Today, they are recognized as the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, representing the combined heritage of the Ohlone and Costanoan peoples, who continue to advocate for their rights and recognition, particularly concerning their ancestral lands.
Costanoan
Category: Tribe
Culture area: California
Language group: Costanoan
Primary location: San Francisco Bay to Monterey Bay, California
Population size:1,386 (2015 US Census Bureau American Community Survey)
Historically, the Costanoan (or Ohlone) lived in approximately fifty politically autonomous tribelets or nations, each with a permanent village. Their culture was based on patrilineal clans that were divided into bear and deer moieties through the moiety system. Acorns were the most important plant food, but numerous seeds, berries, and tubers were collected by season, and animals were trapped and hunted. Waterfowl and numerous bird species were hunted for food and feathers. Gathered insects were an important source of protein.
The first European American contact with the Costanoan was in 1602 by the Sebastián Vizcaino expedition. Groups later explored Costanoan territory between 1769 and 1776. The mission period, 1770–1835, brought many devastating changes—particularly a population decline from post-contact disease and a diminishing birth rate. The missions and missionaries discouraged traditional social and religious rituals. Later, the secularization of the missions and the proliferation of settlers further disrupted the Costanoan culture, which by 1935, brought the language to extinction. By 1970, Costanoan descendants had united into a corporate entity known as the American Indian Tribe. These people have never been compensated for the loss of their lands during the Gold Rush.
The descendants of the combined Ohlone and Costanoan tribes now make up the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe which is centered around the San Francisco Bay area. The Ohlone and Costanoan are no longer ethnically distinct and are referred to only as Ohlone.
Bibliography
Bean, Lowell John, ed. The Ohlone: Past and Present Native Americans of the San Francisco Bay Region. Menlo Park: Ballena, 1994. Print.
Cartier, Robert, et al. An Overview of Ohlone Culture. Cupertino: De Anza College, 1991. Print.
"Historical Overview." Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, www.muwekma.org/historical-overview.html. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.
Teixeira, Lauren. The Costanoan/Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area: A Research Guide. Menlo Park: Ballena, 1997. Print.
“2015: ACS 5-Year Estimates American Indian and Alaska Native Detailed Tables.” US Census Bureau, 11 Apr. 2019, data.census.gov/table?q=Constanoan. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.