Morgan Hill Historical Society
The Muwekma People : A Part of Morgan Hill History
by Robin Shepherd
Muwekma Ohlone Mural By Alfonso Salazar - SJSU 2021 , stretching along the Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose . Photo By Ian Lundie
The history of California ’ s indigenous tribes dates back thousands of years .
Evidence of their existence lies beneath our feet , where artifacts and human remains are preserved in layers of soil and rock . Advances in archaeological research and heightened cultural awareness can help us explore this evidence to answer long-held questions about the First Peoples and their way of life . Land development projects that make room for this work , before bulldozing , are the key to historic preservation .
Increasingly , archeologists , anthropologists , historians and scientists are working with California indigenous tribes to follow culturally-sensitive practices at excavation sites of archaeological importance in order to identify and preserve ancestral remains . The Muwekma tribe is part of this effort .
The Muwekma Ohlone tribe ’ s descendants trace their lineages through the federally-recognized Verona Band of Alameda County and through Missions San Francisco , Santa Clara , and San Jose . Their ancestors lived in communities from San Francisco south to Santa Clara and Santa Cruz and east to San Joaquin .
During the late 1700s and 1800s , indigenous tribes of California were overwhelmed by the Spanish Mission system , the Mexican rancho era , and the California Gold Rush .
From 1770-1834 , the Mission system sought to convert the Indians to Christianity and enslaved them to support the economy of the Missions . They were given Christian names , forbidden to speak their native languages , forced to attend church services , prohibited from celebrating their customs , and severely punished for disobedience . Families and tribes were often separated . Their living conditions were dismal , and many perished due to lack of immunity to diseases brought by the Spanish .
By 1833 , Mexico declared its independence from Spain and seized much of the California Mission land , selling or giving away land grants called ranchos to elite families and soldiers from the Presidios . The Mexican government encouraged Mexicans to settle in California . The Mexican Secularization Act called for emancipation of indigenous tribes from the missions , but few were ever given land . Most worked on the Mexican ranchos to survive .
The California Gold Rush ( 1848-1855 ) attracted a flood of immigrants hoping to get rich . The indigenous population dwindled and surviving tribal members scattered for safety from bounty hunters .
In the early 1900s , UC Berkeley anthropologist Alfred Kroeber and his colleagues , funded by Phoebe Apperson Hearst , met with representatives of many of California ' s indigenous tribes . He recorded language , stories , traditions , and ethnogeography data . Kroeber ’ s Handbook of the Indians of California ( 1925 ) contributed greatly to the preservation of indigenous history and languages , but it was for the benefit of academicians and historians of his day , not for the tribal members who were the subjects of his research . The same could be said of Kroeber ’ s contemporaries . Their growing body of research , along with indigenous artifacts and human remains , remained with universities , museums and private collections .
A century later , things are changing . Today , the Muwekma and other indigenous tribes are partnering with universities , museums , parks and others ; exploring ways to increase public
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