Overview: This lesson aims to explore the rich and complex pre-contact life and culture of the Ohlone people, the Indigenous inhabitants of the San Francisco Bay Area. While acknowledging that the Ohlone comprised many distinct tribes and communities, each with unique traditions, this unit will provide a foundational understanding of their deep connection to the land and sea, their sophisticated hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and their vibrant social and spiritual practices that thrived for millennia before European arrival.

Goals:

• To provide students with an understanding of the Ohlone people's presence and way of life in the Bay Area prior to European contact.

• To examine their daily life and subsistence strategies, highlighting their profound knowledge and utilization of the natural environment.

• To explore the social structure, beliefs, and material culture that defined Ohlone communities.

• To recognize the diversity within the Ohlone people while appreciating their shared cultural heritage.