
The Ramaytush () or Rammay-tuš people are a linguistic subdivision of the
Ohlone
The Ohlone ( ), formerly known as Costanoans (from Spanish meaning 'coast dweller'), are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Northern California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the l ...
people of
Northern California
Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...
. The term Ramaytush was first applied to them in the 1970s, but the modern Ohlone people of the
peninsula
A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
have claimed it as their
ethnonym
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...
. The ancestors of the Ramaytush Ohlone people have lived on the peninsula—specifically in the area known as
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and
San Mateo county—for thousands of years.
Prior to the
California genocide, the Ohlone people were not consciously united as a singular socio-political entity. In the early twentieth century anthropologists and linguists began to refer to the Ramaytush Ohlone as ''San Francisco'' ''Costanoans''—the people who spoke a common dialect or language within the Costanoan branch of the
Utian family. Anthropologists and linguists similarly called the
Tamyen people ''Santa Clara Costanoans,'' and the
Awaswas people ''Santa Cruz Costanoans''.
The homeland of the Ramaytush is largely surrounded by ocean and sea, the exception being
the valley and
the mountains to the southeast, home to the
Tamyen Ohlone and
Awaswas Ohlone, among others. To the east, across San Francisco Bay, what is now known as
Alameda County is home to the
Chochenyo Ohlone. To the north, across the
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...
, was a Huimen
Miwok
The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native Americans in the United States, Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok lan ...
village. The northernmost Ramaytush local tribe—the Yelamu tribe of what is now San Francisco—was closely connected with the Huchiun Chochenyos of what is now Oakland, and members of the two tribes frequently intermarried at the time of Spanish colonization.
European disease took a heavy toll of life on all
Indigenous people who came to
Mission Dolores after its creation in 1776. The Ohlone people were forced to use Spanish resulting in the loss of their language. The Spanish rounded up hundreds of Ohlone people at Mission Dolores and took them to the north bay to construct
Mission San Rafael. Although none of their villages survived, four branches of one lineage are known to have survived
the genocide.
In 1925,
Alfred Kroeber, then director of the
Hearst Museum of Anthropology, declared the Ohlone extinct, which directly led to the tribe losing federal recognition and land rights.
Etymology
The term "Ramaytush" (Rammay-tuš) meaning "people from the west," is a
Chochenyo word the
Ohlone of the East Bay used to refer to their westward neighbors. The term was adopted by Richard L. Levy in 1976 to refer to this peninsular linguistic division of the Ohlone which are the Ramaytush.
Ramaytush tribes and villages
Ramaytush groups, for the most part independent territorial local tribes, include:
The
Yelamu group, probably a multi-village local tribe, with the following villages within the present City and County of San Francisco:
*

Chutchui also listed as Suchui in Mission Dolores Registry – on Mission Creek, the latter in the vicinity of
Mission Dolores. The Mission also had a Christianized named for Chutchui which was Nuestra Senora de la Asumpcion. The burial ground (shellmound) for Chutchui was located on where the Marshall school (15th Street & Capp Street) is located today
* Sitlintac also listed as Sitinac in Mission Dolores Registry – near Chutchui
* Amuctac and Tubsinte – in
Visitacion Valley, San Francisco.
* Amutaja – Adjoining Canada de la Visitacion (Visitation)
* Petlenuc – near the
San Francisco Presidio.
* Mitline – near Lake Merced
* Opurome – beach side of Lake Merced
On San Francisco Bay, south of San Francisco:
* Siplichiquin – on
San Bruno Mountain
San Bruno Mountain is a fault block, fault-block Horst (geology), horst in northern San Mateo County, California. Rising to a quarter-mile high peak directly out of San Francisco Bay, it also includes a smaller ridge in San Francisco. Viewed f ...
in
South San Francisco.
* un-named village CA-SMA-299 on present-day El Camino Real in
South San Francisco.
* Urebure –
San Bruno Creek near
San Bruno Mountain
San Bruno Mountain is a fault block, fault-block Horst (geology), horst in northern San Mateo County, California. Rising to a quarter-mile high peak directly out of San Francisco Bay, it also includes a smaller ridge in San Francisco. Viewed f ...
.
* Altamu – San Mateo
* Chagunte – San Bruno
* Chioischin – San Bruno
* Malsaitac – near San Mateo
* Shalson (spelled ''Ssalson'' by Spanish missionaries) along
San Mateo Creek and in the contiguous San Andreas Valley (present-day
San Mateo). Their permanent or semi-permanent villages included:
** Aleitac – along San Mateo Creek in San Andreas Valley.
** Altahmo – (also spelled Altagmu) – along San Mateo Creek, in San Mateo or in the San Andreas Valley.
** Tunmuda – near San Mateo Creek
** Uturbe – along San Mateo Creek, probably in San Mateo, less likely in the San Andreas Valley.
*
Lamchin lived along Pulgas Creek in the present city of
San Carlos and several other nearby villages appear in the mission records
** Chachanegtac – Main village along Pulgas Creek
** Ussete – near Pulgas Creek
** Gulcismijtac (also spelled Guloisnistac) – North of Pulgas Creek
** Oromstac – near Pulgas Creek
** Supichum (also spelled Ssupichom) – San Mateo
* Puichon – lower San Francisquito Creek and nearby areas (present-day Cities of
Palo Alto
Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
Th ...
and
Mountain View).
On the Pacific Coast, south of San Francisco:
* Aramai – coastal valleys just south of San Francisco. Its constituent villages were:
** Timigtac on Calera Creek in modern-day Pacifica.
** Pruristac on San Pedro Creek in modern-day Pacifica.
* Chiguan
**Ssatumnumo – Princeton Point
**Chagunte – near Half Moon Bay
* Cotegen – Tunitas Creek and adjoining areas south of Half Moon Bay.
* Oljon – Lower San Gregorio and Pescadero creeks, north of Point Ano Nuevo.
Other Villages (known as Rancherias by the Spanish) listed in San Francisco Mission De Asiss registry that are not given specific locations:
* Aluenchi
* Amictu
* Atarpe
* Chimus
* Chirau
* Chocoayco
* Chupanes
* Chynan Jumiamuc
* Conap
* Cosapa
* Geluasibe
* Liuanegtur
* Macsinum
* Olestura
* Ousint
* Payesone
* Puichon
* Pusuay
* Septuca
* Subchiam
* Toquisara
* Tuzsint
* Uturpe
Ramaytush Ohlone people
* 1777 – ''Chamis'' of the village Chutchui. On June 24, 1777, at age 20 he became the first neophyte to join the Mission San Francisco by baptism. He was given the Christian name of Francisco Moraga. No Mission Indian would be given a last name. Chamis would also be the first to be married on April 27, 1778 to the Ohlone woman with the Christian name Catarina de Bononia. Between 1777 and 1850 7,280 Ohlone people were baptized at Mission Dolores.
[Engelhardt, 1924.]
* 1777 – ''Pilmo'' from Playa de la Dolores is 2nd baptized on June 24, 1777 and given the name Jose Antonio.
* 1777 – ''Taulvo'' from Playa de la Dolores is 3rd baptized on June 24, 1777 and given the name Juan Bernardino.
* 1777 – ''Xigmacse'', A Yelamu chief, at the time of the establishment of the Mission San Francisco.
* 1779 – ''Charquín'', given the baptismal name of Francisco in the same year, appears to have been the leader of the first band of runaways in 1789. Exiled to San Diego, he died there in the spring of 1798.
* 1783 – ''Mossués'', captain of the village
Pruristac, baptized in 1783
*1797 – ''Valeriano and Jorge'' elected Alcalde of Mission SF de Assis. California's first governor Felipe de Neve ordered the Missions to elect local Alcaldes around 1779.
[Englehardt, pg 121] List of pre-statehood mayors of San Francisco
*1797 – ''Acursio and Fermin'' elected regidores (council members) at Mission SF Assis.
*1798 – ''Biridianna'', last living Chutchui villager to have witnessed the founding of Mission Dolores.
* 1804 – '' Poylemja'', ceremonially reburied at Dolores cemetery.
[from gravestone at Mission Dolores.]
* 1807 – ''Hilarion'' and ''George'' (their baptismal names) were two Ohlone men from the village
Pruristac who served as ''alcaldes'' (mayors) of the Mission San Francisco in 1807.
*1807 – ''Jocnocme'', ceremonially reburied at Dolores cemetery.
* 18?? – 1823- ''Pomponio'' of
Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Mo ...
led raids against Mission Dolores, taking livestock and horses. He was caught, escaped, recaptured, and then executed.
* 18?? – ''Monica'' worked as a boatman for William Richardson, who built the first house in Yerba Buena in 1836. Monica told Richardson about the oral history of a time prior to the opening now known as the Golden Gate.
[https://www.sfgenealogy.org/doku.php?id=san_francisco_history:odds_and_ends:our_first_families at the bottom of the page]
* 1842 – ''José Antonio'' – age 16, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
[1842 Census] All Ohlone people at the Mission would be given the name of a Catholic saint upon baptism. None would be given a last name and be designated in the census as either a neofita or neofito in the census.
* 1842 – ''Alejo'' – age 35, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''Pablo'' – age 18, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''Junipero'' – age 43, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''José Ramon'' – age 16, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''Josefa'' – age 14, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''Consolacion'' – age 12, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''Ygnacio'' – age 53, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''Dunas'' – age 49, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''Forcuata'' – age 40, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''José'' – age 16, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1842 – ''José D.'' – age 3, one of the last twelve known Ohlone living in SF.
* 1893 – ''Pedro Evencio'' has been called the last (Ramaytush) Native American of San Mateo. His son ''José Evencio'' lived at ''Coyote Point'' until World War II; his final whereabouts are unknown.
[Brown, 1974]
* 1950s – ''Andrés Osorio'' of
Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Mo ...
, said to be ''the area's last "Indian"'', possibly ''Tulare'' or ''Mexican''.
See also
*
Sánchez Adobe Park
The Sánchez Adobe Park, home to the Sánchez Adobe, is located in Pacifica, California, at 1000 Linda Mar Boulevard, on the north bank of San Pedro Creek, approximately from the Pacific Ocean in Linda Mar Valley. The county park, established ...
*
San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia
*
Ramaytush language
*
List of Ohlone villages
Notes
References
* Brown, Alan K. ''Indians of San Mateo County'', ''La Peninsula:Journal of the San Mateo County Historical Association'', Vol. XVII No. 4, Winter 1973–1974.
* Brown, Alan K. ''Place Names of San Mateo County'', published San Mateo County Historical Association, 1975.
* Fr. Engelhardt O. F. M, Zephyrin. ''San Francisco or Mission Dolores'', Franciscan Herald Press, 1924.
* Heizer, Robert F. 1974. ''The Costanoan Indians''. De Anza College History Center: Cupertino, California.
* Milliken, Randall. ''A Time of Little Choice: The Disintegration of Tribal Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area 1769–1910'' Menlo Park, CA: Ballena Press Publication, 1995. (alk. paper)
* Teixeira, Lauren. ''The Costanoan/Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area, A Research Guide''. Menlo Park, CA: Ballena Press Publication, 1997. .
1842 Census of San Francisco
{{authority control
Ohlone
Indigenous peoples of California
History of San Francisco
History of San Mateo County, California