The Esselen People
The Esselen Tribe (a branch of the Ohlone tribe) was a very small tribe and had a lot of similar customs to the other California Native American tribes, but they were unique in their own way. They had different beliefs, but a lot of the same foods.
Beliefs and Customs
The Esselen thought many things had power. They thought that rocks had memory, which is why they honor rocks. They would put their handprints all over rocks. Today there are more than 250 handprints on their local rocks. They believed that everything had power and was alive; things like stars, trees, rocks, minerals, etc. There was one special person in the tribe called the Shaman. The Esselen people believed that the Shaman healed the sick. This was very different from the Christians’ belief.
The Esselen thought many things had power. They thought that rocks had memory, which is why they honor rocks. They would put their handprints all over rocks. Today there are more than 250 handprints on their local rocks. They believed that everything had power and was alive; things like stars, trees, rocks, minerals, etc. There was one special person in the tribe called the Shaman. The Esselen people believed that the Shaman healed the sick. This was very different from the Christians’ belief.
Diet
The Esselen tribe ate different food than we eat today. They ate a lot of meat including animals from the sea. The women cooked mussels, clams, and fish. The men also hunted the deer, elk, and antelope from the grassy hills of Big Sur. Next to their village, a forest of oak trees grew. The girls would go up and gather many acorns. When they were brought back, the women would make them into mush, bread, and biscuits. Their acorns were like our flour, it was most of their diet.
The Esselen tribe ate different food than we eat today. They ate a lot of meat including animals from the sea. The women cooked mussels, clams, and fish. The men also hunted the deer, elk, and antelope from the grassy hills of Big Sur. Next to their village, a forest of oak trees grew. The girls would go up and gather many acorns. When they were brought back, the women would make them into mush, bread, and biscuits. Their acorns were like our flour, it was most of their diet.
Housing and Tools
The huts the Esselen built were commonly used around the coast of California. They were made out of tule reeds. The women would weave them tightly together to make a house. The house was well protected from the rain, but the wind could often blow the house off the ground. The Esselen were constantly rebuilding their houses unlike the Spanish. The Esselen’s tools were also very common with other Native American tribes. They used a mortar and pestle for crushing and mushing acorns. The girls wove baskets to carry acorns from the forest. Men normally went around with only some fur hanging from their waists or a deerskin cape. The girls and women wore more clothes though. The had a fur or grass skirt and a rabbit skin covering their front.
Population
Finally, the Spanish came and completely changed the lifestyle. They built the mission and the Esselen population declined for three main reasons. First, the Spanish took all their food supply and made them eat something different. Next, the missionaries and soldiers brought new diseases to California. The diseases that the Esselen’s immune system weren’t used to were measles, chicken pox, smallpox, and syphilis. Third, is the way they were treated. The women were kept in small rooms that weren’t healthy for a human to live in. They were also flogged (beaten with whips or sticks) for breaking the Christian rules, or they would be beaten by the soldiers for trying to run away.
Today, there are still many Esselen living around the Monterey County. A lot of the Esselen have served in the U.S Armed forces and have fought in World War ll. The Esselen people who are still here today are finally appreciated for their culture.