It is not coincidental that the article about the Ohlones was found in the history section on the website. It seems that through mass murder, cultural appropriation and censorship, among other governmental mechanisms, the Ohlone peoples have been cast in the media as just that- history long past, as folklore, mascot and caricature, pioneer nostalgia, shadows; “Happy Birthday Santa Cruz, 202 years and going strong!” An Incomplete Ohlone History More than 10,000 Native Americans once lived in the coastal region stretching from Point Sur to the Monterey Bay. Before the advance of Spanish colonists Central California had the most populated community of indigenous peoples anywhere north of Mexico. The Spaniards who came in search of “savages” to “civilize,” as well as labor and resources to exploit, arrived literally millennia after the original inhabitants of the area, the Costanoan, or, Ohlone People. 2 Among the 10,000 Ohlone, there were about forty different groups, forty distinct cultures. The Hordean Ohlone of what is known contemporarily as Santa Cruz, or, “Holy Cross,” is but one. These groups inhabited different territory, had varying social practices and customs, as well as largely unique languages. Because of this, it is either ignorance or hyperbole to refer to the Ohlone as a tribe, completely aside from the racist origin of this term. Despite this, many anthropologists, archaeologists, and ethno-historians continue to do so. Still, it is possible to speak generally about the Ohlones, as so much more was held in common than was different, among the groups. In relation to their environment, the Ohlones attitude could be best described as respect. While they too altered the landscape somewhat, their damaging impact on other wildlife was minimal to nil. Certainly, it was incomparable to the ecocidal projects and supposed zeniths known today as industrialism and Civilization. Perhaps the foremost aspect of Ohlone life that fostered respect for the natural world, was their direct and unmediated relationship with their bioregion, and more generally, the earth. Whether through fishing for salmon or sturgeon, gathering seeds or brome grass, or collecting clams or oysters, basic daily sustenance came with their volition and the direct use of their bodies in interaction with their environment. 4 More than this, every living and non-living thing was considered sacred. The earth was not a simple mass of objects or resources to be exploited, but a vast and intricate network which both provided the necessary amenities to live, and demanded respect and awe. The symbiotic interaction between human and other animal populations with plant life and each other, in tandem with the intimacy of the social relationships in the groups, begin to explain the harmony said to have been found in much of Ohlone life before invasion. To further understand the deep bonds within Ohlone society, it’s important to recognize that each tribe constituted between roughly two or three hundred people. There was virtually no leaving such a situation unless one became outcast completely. Reserved for the greedy or aggressive, such ostracization did occur, but was very rare. As the English explorer Captain Vancouver put it, the Ohlone were not, “stimulated to obtaining consequence among themselves.” More clearly Margolin, author of The Ohlone Way, writes of greed: “Acquisition was not an Ohlone’s idea of wealth or security.” After a hunt, for example, the hunter would not prepare meat for and Pacific Islander studies. 2. TWANAS and the Native American Studies Support Group merge and TWANAS logo decide to present specific demands to secure permanent faculty positions.
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Picture: TWANAS rally
3. Nearly 600 people march to the chancellors office and present 5 demands which are to be answered within 5 days. - The University’s response doesn’t specifically address the demands. Instead, in classic style, the administration proposes the formation of yet