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creativerunnings's review against another edition
fast-paced
2.0
I struggle a bit because the author goes way over the top in romanticizing the life of the Ohlone, native to the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. This is after clearly stating in the introduction that he "distrusted the modern image of [...] a faultless people who lived lives of idyllic peace and prosperity".
According to this book, life was milk and honey, people lived in complete harmony with nature and its animals, in absolute tolerance, and in utter abundance.
I'm baffled. What gives?
I can't quite tell, but it doesn't really seem as though the author has have Native American indigenous heritage with a Lithuanian mother and an "American father". But perhaps I'm wrong.
Now the book was published in 1978. I guess things were a little different then, and white voices got to overpower their counterparts of true indigenous origin. Thankfully we've moved, well, inched, along since then.
Anyway, I'm tempted to throw this against the wall. But it's also informative, even though there aren't any citations. I guess it's good to bring awareness to the Ohlone culture, especially back in 1978. So there's that.
According to this book, life was milk and honey, people lived in complete harmony with nature and its animals, in absolute tolerance, and in utter abundance.
I'm baffled. What gives?
I can't quite tell, but it doesn't really seem as though the author has have Native American indigenous heritage with a Lithuanian mother and an "American father". But perhaps I'm wrong.
Now the book was published in 1978. I guess things were a little different then, and white voices got to overpower their counterparts of true indigenous origin. Thankfully we've moved, well, inched, along since then.
Anyway, I'm tempted to throw this against the wall. But it's also informative, even though there aren't any citations. I guess it's good to bring awareness to the Ohlone culture, especially back in 1978. So there's that.
jdintr's review
5.0
This is a really fascinating look at the native peoples of the central California coast.
I liked the fact that Margolin keeps the focus on the natives and their way of life--chapters discuss food, living accommodations, myths & spiritual traditions, and war.
Only in the last chapter does Margolin address the mission system, through which utopian Franciscan missionaries coopted native ways and forced the people to live like Europeans, sending this thriving culture on a path towards extinction.
There is much that visitors to California can learn from Margolin's account. I read it to prepare my mind for a trip to Monterey and Salinas. When I'm there, I will be looking for tracks of ancient Americans and trying to imagine how this amazing coastline must have seemed through their eyes.
I liked the fact that Margolin keeps the focus on the natives and their way of life--chapters discuss food, living accommodations, myths & spiritual traditions, and war.
Only in the last chapter does Margolin address the mission system, through which utopian Franciscan missionaries coopted native ways and forced the people to live like Europeans, sending this thriving culture on a path towards extinction.
There is much that visitors to California can learn from Margolin's account. I read it to prepare my mind for a trip to Monterey and Salinas. When I'm there, I will be looking for tracks of ancient Americans and trying to imagine how this amazing coastline must have seemed through their eyes.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps I ought to have given this book 3 stars because I don't have any way to judge its accuracy, and it lacked citations (and, as others here have noted, it did lean toward the "romantic Indian" portrayal), but I did really enjoy reading it. I was especially interested in the cross-cultural comparisons of how the Ohlone tribes differed from other Native American groups in different regions (there were quite a lot of differences even just within Northern California).
msdaisylaurel's review against another edition
5.0
excellent commentary, if not totally relegated to a white perspective of an indigenous culture.
jordanros's review against another edition
4.0
A great and very informative read! I wish much more of this content had been taught in my (California) public school growing up. I enjoyed the unconventional narrative style, but I sometimes wished the author just went all the way and wrote a historical fiction novel. Nonetheless I loved this book!
kitchensensei's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting to read about the Ohlone and try to picture what the place I live looked like back then. Definitely worth a read especially if you live in the Bay Area.
meekorouse's review against another edition
5.0
original review from July 2011: "This 1978 edition is a good, basic elementary level overview of what Ohlone life may have been like. Each topic is covered in small chapters. "
Feb 2014: The chapters, or segments really, are very small.. a couple pages at a time covering various topics such as fishing, basket-making, hunting, the sweat-house, marriage, childbirth, etc.. A very in depth look, even fanciful stories illustrating what life may have been like.. and a sensitive, empathetic, respectful, but objective historical examination. I read this 2nd (and 3rd as I reviewed my notes) time for a class, and found it interesting but not as amazing or insightful on multiple reads.
Feb 2014: The chapters, or segments really, are very small.. a couple pages at a time covering various topics such as fishing, basket-making, hunting, the sweat-house, marriage, childbirth, etc.. A very in depth look, even fanciful stories illustrating what life may have been like.. and a sensitive, empathetic, respectful, but objective historical examination. I read this 2nd (and 3rd as I reviewed my notes) time for a class, and found it interesting but not as amazing or insightful on multiple reads.
shelleyanderson4127's review against another edition
4.0
This is an account of the life and times of indigenous people in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay (USA) before Spanish colonisation. It's a well-written, extensively researched, account aimed at the general reader, by a non-indigenous writer. It's become a classic of sorts, found in many California museums and national parks. It is clear to see why: the writing flows easily, the attitude is respectful (there is an interesting afterword in which the author talks about being taken to task by Native activists) and it depicts a people in their entirety: working, playing, scheming and praying. The Ohlone encompass many different groups, and the rich geography supported one of the most populous Native groups in North America. I especially appreciate the last chapter, for which the author interviewed contemporary Ohlone descendants, as it emphasizes that the Ohlone are still alive and here (though, as one descendant notes: "They have become accustomed to being ignored"). Reading this alongside a more monumental book like David Treuer's The Heart of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present makes an informative combination.