The Ohlone Way (Indian Life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area (2027 Edition))

A classic of Native studies, and a beautifully immersive portrayal of the Bay Area before Europeans.

Selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the top 100 Western nonfiction books of the twentieth century.

When The Ohlone Way was first published in 1978, it transformed the popular understanding of Native California history, offering an immersive, respectful portrayal of the people who inhabited the San Francisco–Monterey Bay Area prior to the arrival of Europeans. This deeply researched vision of Ohlone life and cultural traditions has resonated with generations of readers. A half-century after the book's publication, Margolin's beautifully immersive storytelling continues to inspire conversations about the crucial insights of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, the work that tribal communities are now doing to renew their cultures and languages, and the return of land to Native stewardship.

With richly detailed descriptions of many aspects of life—such as hunting, harvesting, marriage, family life, politics, religion, technology, and the arts—this classic work illuminates the nuances of a culture that thrived for millennia and endures today.