The Sawyer Camp Trailhead in Millbrae will feature educational panels reflecting the Ohlone people’s history at the site where they first encountered Spanish missionary Gaspar de Portolá during his expedition to find Monterey Bay.
The Millbrae Historical Society, San Mateo County Parks Department, the San Mateo County Historical Association and the city of Millbrae collaborated to install educational panels at the top of Hillcrest Boulevard, which provide historical information describing the practices of the Ramaytush Ohlone natives and their experiences with Portolá during his exploration of the Bay Area.
Joe Teresi, project manager for the Millbrae Historical Society, believes the previous history placard at the site was European-centric and one-sided.
“We feel like the new panels are important because it will provide a more holistic interpretation of the site and tell the complete story of how the explorers interacted with the neighbors,” Teresi said, who added it is impossible for the Europeans to have discovered the Bay when there were already native people here.
The term Ohlone resulted in 1853 from a misspelling of Oljon, a tribe within Ramaytush territory along the Pacific Coast, according to the educational panels.
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In 1769, a Spanish expedition, led by Portolá, set out to find Monterey Bay as the Spanish were looking for a suitable port for their ships. But Portolá didn’t find Monterey and when they ended up peering over Sawyer Camp Trailhead in Millbrae he thought he discovered the San Francisco Bay. But more than 2,000 Ohlone lived on the Peninsula in what is today’s San Mateo County. They hunted, fished, tended the land and developed complex trade and cultural relationships, according to the county’s website.
By the time Portolá’s expedition reached the top of the trail, they were starved, lost and some were sick, Teresi said.
But the Ohlone people helped them by feeding them and showing them where to find food. Additionally, the Ohlone participated in prescribed burns during the fall when their foliage was damp to kill flea and pest infestations, to make it easier to hunt for food and help with vegetation.
To get the panels installed, the Millbrae Historical Society applied for a permit with Caltrans that owns the property. They then worked with an Ohlone descendant for translating information for the panels.
The Millbrae Historical Society was founded in 1970 by a group of residents concerned about the loss of our local historical buildings and resources, according to its website.
Explorers interacted with the Indian culture by imposing the white man's will over the indigenous people of America, thus raping their culture to the point of mayhem, torture & death. I suggest reading Dee Brown's novel "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee", which will indeed open one's eyes to the vicious brutality of the white man against the "red" man, not to mention the white man's "forked" tongue.
Why don't you go live in the woods where you can hunt and fish and run around naked in freezing weather? That way you won't "rape a culture." Just engage in heavy petting. Pick some faraway place - one so remote it doesn't have a Starbuck's.
Are Spanish conquistadors considered to be white men? How would you rate what happened to General Custer and his men at Custer's last stand on the scale of brutality. I believe "vicious" would be appropriate. Perhaps "brutal" or "heartless"?
Richard's book recommendation is a good one. I would recommend, "Killers of the Flower Moon," by David Grann... soon to be a major motion picture. Yes, treaties were broken but those broken treaties seem like ancient history. Grann's book, however, shows the exploitation of the Osage tribe by whites in a more modern setting. Exploitation that still resonates today.
Back to history... I'm not a fan of Custer. How would you rate the Battle of Washita River?
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(6) comments
Portola was a soldier, not a missionary although there was one with him.
Explorers interacted with the Indian culture by imposing the white man's will over the indigenous people of America, thus raping their culture to the point of mayhem, torture & death. I suggest reading Dee Brown's novel "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee", which will indeed open one's eyes to the vicious brutality of the white man against the "red" man, not to mention the white man's "forked" tongue.
Why don't you go live in the woods where you can hunt and fish and run around naked in freezing weather? That way you won't "rape a culture." Just engage in heavy petting. Pick some faraway place - one so remote it doesn't have a Starbuck's.
Are Spanish conquistadors considered to be white men? How would you rate what happened to General Custer and his men at Custer's last stand on the scale of brutality. I believe "vicious" would be appropriate. Perhaps "brutal" or "heartless"?
Hi, Terence
Richard's book recommendation is a good one. I would recommend, "Killers of the Flower Moon," by David Grann... soon to be a major motion picture. Yes, treaties were broken but those broken treaties seem like ancient history. Grann's book, however, shows the exploitation of the Osage tribe by whites in a more modern setting. Exploitation that still resonates today.
Back to history... I'm not a fan of Custer. How would you rate the Battle of Washita River?
Both books are excellent.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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