Chapter 16 is about the North Pacific Coast region, which Monterey County is not a part of. The chapter does have a section about human occupation and talks about American Indians as settlers of the region. I already spoke about Indian occupation when the Europeans discovered Monterey County in the 1600s, so now I am going to talk about the Indian settlement in Monterey County before that.
Tribes: Ohlone, Esselen, and Salinan were the major Indian groups in Monterey County.
When: Settled between 12,000-2,000 B.C.
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Map of Where in Monterey County Early Indians Lived |
Location: Lived in provinces or territories defined by natural topographies like rivers and mountains.
Diet: Acorn mush. (Acorns were leached of tannic acids, ground, and then cooked with hot stones in a water proof basket.) Salmon was also a favorite food and was found in most streams back then.
Clothing: Very little clothing (according to the first European accounts).
Trade: Things like obsidians (used for arrowheads and seashells, which in turn were used for art and currency).
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Carefully Painted Esselen Handprints |
As in the North Pacific Coast, Indians began dying out when Europeans arrived. Like I mentioned in my chapter 3 blog post, Indians were mistreated in the Missions. They were rounded up and forced to serve in the Missions, they were not allowed to speak their native languages and practice their own customs, and the males and females had to live in separate quarters.
Also like in the North Pacific Coast, few Indian tribes remain in Monterey County. The Esselens' privately owned 1200 acres is the only large Indian land owned today.
info/image source 1, 2