Long before the arrival of the first Europeans, the Bay Area was home to a large Native population for thousands of years divided into over 40 tribal settlements: the Tamien, Chochenyo, Matalan, Sagan, Ohlone, and many others. Today, many descendants call themselves Ohlone, however this term is not used by all Native communities whose ancestral territory is within the greater Bay Area.

Following their 1769 encounter with Spanish explorers, life changed drastically for the Ohlone. The Alta California Missions were established and run by Spanish padres (Franciscan Missionaries) who sought to convert Native communities to Catholicism, assimilate them into European culture, and exploit their labor. Due to labor demands, disease, and unsanitary and crowded conditions, the Indigenous community at Mission Santa Clara faced poor health and high death rates.

Although pockets of resistance existed, the Ohlone’s way of life, identity, and world view were forever changed by colonization and missionization. However, the Ohlone people did not disappear. Numerous family groups have reclaimed their heritage (working to revitalize language, dance, food, and more) and are seeking Federal recognition in our time.

The following historical images were created by Louis Choris (1795–1828) who visited the Bay Area in 1816 as part of a Russian scientific expedition