The Awaswas people, also known as Santa Cruz people, are one of eight divisions of the Ohlone Native Americans of Northern California. The Awaswas lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains and along the coast of present-day Santa Cruz County from present-day Davenport to Aptos. The name for this area in Awaswas was Aulinta. Historically, they spoke the

Awaswas language Awaswas, or Santa Cruz, is one of eight Ohlone languages. It was historically spoken by the Awaswas people, an indigenous people of California. Linguists originally called the language Santa Cruz after the mission in the area but it was ren ...

, one of the Costanoan language dialects in the Utian family, which became the main language spoken at the

Mission Santa Cruz Mission Santa Cruz (''La Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz'', which translates as the Mission of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross), was the twelfth of twenty-one Spanish missions in California (today's U.S. state), established by the Fr ...

. However, there is evidence that this grouping was more geographic than linguistic, and that the records of the 'Santa Cruz Costanoan' language in fact represent several diverse dialects. The Awaswas territory was bordered by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

to the west, and other Ohlone people on all other sides: the

Ramaytush The Ramaytush or Rammay-tuš people are a linguistic subdivision of the Ohlone people of Northern California. The term Ramaytush was first applied to them in the 1970s, but the modern Ohlone people of the peninsula have claimed it as their ethn ...

to the north, Tamien to the east, and the

Mutsun Mutsun (also known as San Juan Bautista Costanoan) is a Utian language spoken in Northern California. It was the primary language of a division of the Ohlone people living in the Mission San Juan Bautista area. The Tamien Nation and band is cu ...

and Rumsien to the south. The Awaswas population living between Davenport and Aptos was estimated at 600 people in 1770.

Mission Era history

During the era of

Spanish missions in California The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests ...

, the Awaswas people's lives changed with the

(founded in 1791) built in their territory. Most were forced into slavery at this mission and were baptized, lived and educated to be Catholic ''neophytes'', also known as

Mission Indians Mission Indians are the indigenous peoples of California who lived in Southern California and were forcibly relocated from their traditional dwellings, villages, and homelands to live and work at 15 Franciscan missions in Southern California and ...

, until the missions were discontinued by the Mexican Government in 1834.

Awaswas tribes and villages

The villages included the Sokel, who lived at Aptos, and the Chatu-mu, who lived near the current location of Santa Cruz.Kroeber, 1925, Map p. 465 Awasawas neophytes at the Mission Santa Cruz came from the following villages, located in today's Santa Cruz County:

Achilla, Aestaca, Agtisrn, Apil, Aulintac, Chalumü, Chanech, Chicutae, Choromi, Coot, Hauzaurni, Hottrochtac, Huachi, Hualquilme, Huocom, Locobo, Luchasmi, Mallin, Nohioalli, Ochoyos, Onbi, Osacalis (Souquel), Payanmin, Sachuen, Sagin, Shiuguermi, Shoremee, Sio Cotchmin, Tejey, Tomoy, Turami, Utalliam, Wallanmi, Yeunaba, Yeunata, Yeunator.

Awaswas peoples today

In 2011, a march was held in Santa Cruz to preserve "the Knoll", the 6,000-year-old burial site of a child, located near Branciforte Creek. Awaswas people, the "documented descendants of Missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz", have become members of the tribal band. In 2012, Amah Mutsun Tribal Chairman Valentin Lopez stated that "tribe members are scattered. Few can afford to live in their historic lands today," and many now make their homes in the Central Valley.

Notes

References

* Kroeber, Alfred L. 1925. ''Handbook of the Indians of California''. Washington, D.C: ''Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin'' No. 78. (map of villages, page 465) * 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. . * Yamane, Linda, ed. 2002. ''A Gathering of Voices: The Native Peoples of the Central California Coast''. Santa Cruz County History Journal, Number 5. Santa Cruz, CA: Museum of Art & History. {{DEFAULTSORT:Awaswas People Ohlone California Mission Indians Native American tribes in California History of Santa Cruz County, California Aptos, California Santa Cruz Mountains

Mission Era history

Awaswas tribes and villages

Awaswas peoples today

See also

Notes

References