Introduction to Pre-Contact Research Sources
To understand the way of life of the Muwekma Ohlone and other Ohlone tribes pre-European contact, it is necessary to consult primary sources like archeological artifacts, documentary/archival evidence from early explorers, natural histories, and oral histories, in addition to secondary sources like anthropological, ethnographic, and historical essays and books.
Unfortunately there are no known written records created by Native individuals from this time period.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
As mentioned on the homepage of this research guide, it is important to distinguish primary sources from secondary sources when doing this type of research. Ask yourself when the object/artifact/text was created. If it was created during the time period you are studying, it is a primary source. If it contains conclusions made my present-day scholars or journalists, it is a secondary source that has analyzed the primary source and the author is offering you their interpretation. The primary source, on the other hand, is open to analysis and interpretation, and can support a variety of claims depending on the skill of your argument.
Shellmounds
- Emeryville Shellmound MemorialSite of last existing shellmound in the Bay Area, now a dedicated memorial.
- There Were Once More Than 425 Shellmounds in the Bay Area. Where Did They Go?This article offers many layers of resources: the primary resource of the Bay Area shellmounds themselves, specifically the last existing one in Emeryville itself; photographs of the shellmounds from the early 20th century, which are also primary sources although created centuries after the shellmounds themselves; and the explanation by the journalist who worked on the piece, which is a secondary source because someone is interpreting the evidence.
- San Francisco Bay Shellmounds -- Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of AnthropologyBrief web page covering what anthropologists know about shellmounds in the Bay Area. The Museum has collections of objects supporting research into this area, like Nels C. Nelson's 1909 photographs of the shellmounds.
Oral Histories and Grammars
Although John Peabody Harrington's work occurred mostly in the beginning of the 20th century, he was able to capture aspects of Ohlone culture that predated European contact, for example oral histories of tribal myths and field notes about the Costanoan language. The National Anthropological Archives have stewardship of the Harrington papers, and links to their holdings, especially digitized content, follow below. If you need more help with this collection, please reach out to the NAA at naa@si.edu or consult their research guides.
- John Peabody Harrington papers: Northern and Central California, 1912-1957Finding aid for the portion of the John Peabody Harrington papers that relates to the Ohlone and Santa Clara region held at the National Anthropological Archives. Harrington worked for the Bureau of American Ethnology for 40 years and did extensive research on Native tribes throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada, focusing on languages but also collecting oral histories and products of other ethnographic approaches. At this time the term Costonoan was used rather than Ohlone to represent the amalgamated tribe that extends from San Francisco, down the Peninsula, around the Southern part of the Bay, and up into Berkeley and the East Bay. Harrington's field notes and sound recordings are digitized online (see links below). The collection also includes botanical samples and photographs but those are not available online; contact the National Anthropology Archives at naa@si.edu for help with those materials.
- John Peabody Harrington papers: Costanoan (part 1), 1921-1939Digitized microfilm reels of Harrington's field notes courtesy of the National Anthropological Archives. Full text available online.
- John Peabody Harrington papers: Costanoan (part 2), 1921-1939Digitized microfilm reels of Harrington's field notes courtesy of the National Anthropological Archives. Full text available online.
- John Peabody Harrington papers: Costanoan (part 3), 1921-1939Digitized microfilm reels of Harrington's field notes courtesy of the National Anthropological Archives. Full text available online.
- Costanoan Sound Recording SEP 1929 - Meadows, Isabelle 1Recording of oral history in Spanish of No Description, Possibly One Leg Myth (clip 1) and the Antelope Song (clip 2) as told to Harrington by informant Isabelle Meadows (Costanoan tribe member). Available online.
- Costanoan Sound Recording OCT 1929 - Meadows, Isabelle 2Recording of oral history in Spanish of the Creation Myth as told to Harrington by informant Isabelle Meadows (Costanoan tribe member). Available online.
- Costanoan Sound Recording SEP 1929 - Panocha, Manuel 1Recording of oral history in Spanish as told to Harrington by informant Manuel Panocha (Costanoan tribe member). Available online.
- Costanoan Sound Recording SEP 1929 - Panocha, Manuel 2Recording of oral history in Spanish as told to Harrington by informant Manuel Panocha (Costanoan tribe member). Available online.
- Costanoan Sound Recording SEP 1929 - Panocha, Manuel 3Recording of oral history in Spanish as told to Harrington by informant Manuel Panocha (Costanoan tribe member). Available online.
- Santa Clara Costanoan/Ohlone GrammarRecord of a microfilm reel at the National Anthropological Archives. MS 296 Santa Clara (Costanoan), Obispeno Chumash, and Santa Rosa Island Chumash comparative vocabulary
de Saisset Museum
- California Stories from Thámien to Santa ClaraInformation about the de Saisset Museum's new exhibit which focuses heavily on Ohlone culture pre-contact. The exhibit features huts, baskets, stoneware, and boats contemporary to the pre-contact era, or recreated by modern Ohlone craftspeople.
- California History Collection - de Saisset MuseumDescription of the types of Ohlone artifacts held by the de Saisset Museum on campus at SCU, including baskets, stoneware, hunting implements, and ceremonial objects.
- Tule Magnificent: Linda Yamane’s tule reed boats honor Ohlone tradition, ancient technologiesSanta Clara Magazine feature article about modern Ohlone artist Linda Yamane's recreations of tule boats for the de Saisset Museum exhibit California Stories.
National Anthropology Archives at the Smithsonian Institution
- Search the National Anthropology ArchivesDo a simple keyword search for Ohlone to retrieve archival and artifactual resources, many digitized like the two listed below.
- Ohlone Basket from Mission San Juan Bautista
Record with images of an Ohlone basket collected by anthropologist John Peabody Harrington from the area of Mission San Juan Bautista from the National Anthropology Archives at the Smithsonian Institution - Ohlone Basket from Santa Clara
Record with images of an Ohlone basket collected by Miss Ella F. Hubby from Santa Clara, courtesy of] the National Anthropology Archives at the Smithsonian Institution.
Santa Clara University Department of Anthropology Research Manuscript Series
- Revealing Santa Clara University's prehistoric past: CA-SCI-755, evidence from the Arts & Sciences building projectAnthropology Research Manuscript Series No. 15. Report of the site dig associated with the construction of SCU's Arts & Sciences Building. Includes studies of ten prehistoric burials, from which conclusions on Ohlone culture and diet are proposed.
- Discovering Santa Clara University's prehistoric past : CA-SCI-755Anthropology Research Manuscript Series No. 12. Described as a "'love' story of sorts, told by the people who love them" of three Ohlone individuals buried at Santa Clara and discovered in 1994 during the Alameda reroute landscaping project outside of what is now the STEM Campus, a reconstruction of their lives based on scientific findings and the narratives of 20th century Ohlone.
- The roots of healing: ethnomedical adaptation of the Ohlone IndiansAnthropology Research Manuscript Series No. 5. Anthropological study of Ohlone connection to physical environment in relation to the use of plants to treat medical issues. Draws on ethnographic studies primarily to form conclusions.
- The Ohlone and the oak woodlands: cultural adaptation in the Santa Clara ValleyAnthropology Research Manuscript Series No. 4. Combines ethnography and natural history to formulate a complete picture of how the Oak woodlands were central to the culture and subsistence of prehistoric Ohlone.
- Grasslands - the forgotten resource : the cultural ecology of the central California grasslandsAnthropology Research Manuscript Series No. 1. A study of Native Northern Californians in context with the native grass species as compared to the European varieties introduced by the Spanish.
- A river ran through it... : the cultural ecology of the Santa Clara Valley riparian zoneAnthropology Research Manuscript Series No. 3. Precise representation of aspects of Ohlone life including the village, material culture, subsistence, health, and mythological beliefs in context with the natural history study of the streamside woodland.
Other Sources (e.g. book chapters, journal articles)
- Punctuated Culture Change in the San Francisco Bay AreaBook chapter from the edited collection California Prehistory : Colonization, Culture, and Complexity. Available electronically.