Shellmounds: Spanish and American Influence on Indigenous Burial Practices and Shellmound Use

A shellmound is a graveyard, a mortuary complex, an ancient structure. It’s a place where the first peoples who live along the coasts and rivers of California, used to bury their dead. This article briefly explores why that is. Spanish Influence on Indigenous Use of Shellmounds This changed when Spain Conquistador’s invaded the San Francisco… Continue reading Shellmounds: Spanish and American Influence on Indigenous Burial Practices and Shellmound Use

SF Bay Area Shellmounds Are Some of the Most Endangered Cultural Resources in the World

The San Francisco Bay Area had well over 425 shellmounds. Gabriel Duncan, from the Alameda Native History Project, estimates the true number of shellmounds around the S.F. Bay Area’s shoreline is closer to seven or eight-hundred shellmounds, which existed before European invasion and colonization. Shellmounds are ancient burial grounds used by the First People of… Continue reading SF Bay Area Shellmounds Are Some of the Most Endangered Cultural Resources in the World

Who are the people who inhabited the area now known as the City of Alameda?

A Frequently Asked Question about Ohlone People, the First Alamedans, and the Tribe Fighting for Federal Re-Recognition. This is one such reply.

Milliken 2009, “A Time of Little Choice”, Has Just Been Liberated

Anthropology, Archaeology, and Ethnology have always been competitive fields. In the East Bay, Native American Graves Consulting is a booming, and exclusive business. And, the documented existence of the Ohlone people, who have occupied the East Bay continuously, for thousands of years, hinges upon the information locked away behind paygates; only being referenced by Developers,… Continue reading Milliken 2009, “A Time of Little Choice”, Has Just Been Liberated