The Indians of the Bay Area did not have a tribal name like Sioux or Navajo. The Europeans called them Costanos which they hated. They preferred to be called Ohlanes despite the fact that it was a "made up" name. It might have come from the Miwok for "western people" or from a large village along the San Mateo coast. There are many guesses, but no one knows for sure.
Central California had the densest Indian population anywhere north of Mexico before the Spanish arrived. Over 10,000 people lived in the coastal area between Point Sur and the San Francisco Bay. These 10,000 people were members of over 40 tribes that between them spoke 8-12 different languages. People only twenty miles apart could barely understand each other. It amazed the Europeans when they arrived that people living so close together could speak such different languages.


How many languages are spoken in your neighborhood?
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Here is one Ohlone story explaining the variety of languages:
Coyote was married, but he and his wife had only one child. They were alone, with no neighbors. Coyote thought this was bad. He wanted to marry another wife, and have many children. He begged and begged, but his wife wouldn't let him. Finally, she told him to marry again. Coyote did so, and had five children. Each had a different language, and they established five rancherias: Ensen, Rumsien, Ekheya (Esselen), Kakonta, and Wacharones. Coyote went back to his first wife. He said, "Now, it's good. Now we have many neighbors."

What did the Ohlone look like?