A Rich Native History

A Rich Native History. Montara State Beach. Remembering the First People of Montara , Native Americans tell us they lived in their homelands since the creator placed them here. Archaeology confirms their presence for over 12,000 years. Over time they had to meet the challenges of changing environments. By the time of the first European contact, many tribal communities had long since spread throughout the San Francisco Peninsula. A band called the Chiguan settled that area that is today known as Montara., The Chiguan managed their lands by careful pruning of selected plants and regular burning of grasslands to increase harvests of edible seeds, hazelnuts, acorns, and other plants important to their diet and economy. They hunted game on the land. From the sea they harvested fish, sea mammals, birds, sea weeds, and mollusks. Their regional economy used shell beads and ornaments as currency. They traded their harvests to interior tribes in exchange for chipped stone tools, baskets, bowls, and other necessary goods., Spanish Arrival , The Chiguan first encountered European explorers on October 30, 1769. Within just seven years, Mission Dolores and the San Francisco Presidio were founded. The local tribes were recruited as labor. Subjugated by the colonists, they were forced to give up their lands and lifeways. Many perished from diseases and suffered greatly from violence and depression., A Mexican Territory , In 1821, the Mexican Republic gained independence from Spain. The Mission estates came under private ownership. Many Mission Indians became workers at cattle ranches and farms that were spreading from the coast to California’s interior. Montara was then known as Rancho El Corral de Tierra., After Statehood , California became a part of the United States in 1850. The discovery of gold resulted in an onslaught of new immigrants that was devastating to interior tribes. Descendants of the Chiguan and their Bay Area neighbors are now referred to as the Ohlone., Today, Ohlone families continue to visit places within their ancestral Bay Area homelands. We honor their traditions and their history through our remembering.,