A classic work selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the top 100 western nonfiction books of the twentieth century, The Ohlone Way: Indian Life In The San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area by Malcolm Margolin has endured the test of time as being keenly insightful and informative today as it was twenty-five years ago when it was first published. Offering descriptive presentations of the Ohlone way of life from rituals of childhood and marriage to daily life to spiritual practices, this 25th Anniversary Edition of The Ohlone Way is a very highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies collections.

If you get a copy of this book, your first challenge will be actually beginning to read it. There are a dozen full-page illustrations by Michael Harney that will command your attention. The longer you study these drawings, the more details you will discern. By the time you have looked at each of them, you will have a basic grasp of the life of an Ohlone. These pictures definitely tell stories.

The San Francisco Bay area is said to have been the most densely populated area in the country before the whites came. There were more than 10,000 persons divided into approximately 40 groups that spoke eight to twelve different languages. These peoples lived a stationary life. Mounds of shells dotted the area. One of these was 270 feet in diameter and more than 30 feet deep. Excavations of these mounds have revealed much about the peoples of the area.

Malcolm Margolin has selected one of these groups, the Ohlone, to chronicle. This book is devoted to telling their lifestyle and culture two hundred years ago, before the missionaries came. Only the last ten pages refer to the last two hundred years. See how easy it is to tell the story of two centuries worth of destruction and the eradication of a peaceful people? You can do it in less than the number of illustrations to describe this people's lifestyle.

The book is divided into four parts: "The Ohlones And Their Land," "Life In A Small Society," "The World Of The Spirit," and "Modern Times." These parts are divided into headings for the various aspects of life that fall within that category. Some of the headings are: "The Deer Hunter," "Birth and Childhood," "Marriage," "The Chief," and "Warfare." Each of these goes into tremendous detail about the topic.

The details in Margolin's writing are astounding! His is some of the most vivid writing I have found on Native Americans. He takes a journalistic observer position and reports the facts, but manages to do it with an exhilarating fast-paced narrative that holds the reader's fascination. He takes a no-holds-barred approach to telling what happened after the missionaries arrived. I urge you to read this book. It should be used in required high school American history classes instead of college elective anthropology classes. It is a marvelous book.

Reprinted from Gotta Write Network Online

Malcom Margolin must have researched intensively to create this excellent book. Like historical fiction, it presents known information about the Ohlone people in a well-told story, giving a more direct, personal view to the reader, perhaps capturing the feeling of the times it describes. A mere 213 years ago when Oholone culture was at its incredible zenith, a time of great wealth and deep religious knowledge.

We have just listened to the audio book of "Stickeen" produced by Mara Purl and thoroughly enjoyed the story! I have already told my daughter and she is anxiously waiting for my next "care package," because I told her I would be sure to enclose the tape of "Stickeen" so she can enjoy it also. The story was wonderful and it was so beautifully produced with music and sound effects. I will look for some of Muir's other stories to enjoy, especially if Haven Books Audio does some more.

I found the audio tape to be a great source of entertainment. My imagination was captivated. It's a great source of family entertainment, personal journey and pure fun.

Our family loves to travel by car. In a huge state like Alaska, there's plenty to see, but not much to listen to on the radio, as stations are few and far between. One of the best things we listened to on our trip was "Stickeen," the remarkable dog story by John Muir. We loved Lee Salisbury's voice, and the beautiful music on the tape. This was an hour that flew by, and a few dollars well-spent. We're sending copies to all our relatives.

An excellent, though dated (1989) guide to Berkeley. It covers restaurants, history, neighborhoods, and has several self guided tours. A must if you want to know much more about Berkeley.

....for the introduction alone, written by Malcolm Margolin, who discusses the actual life of California Indians in the Missions in 1786, the year two French ships brought Jean Francois de la Perouse to Monterey to see for himself what was going on. The book is largely his journal, and an honest one it is, European prejudices and all.

The routines, the manacles, the superstitious judgmentalism of the ruling padres are sketched here, as well as the mistreatment by Spanish soldiers, and hanging over all, the depression of a people who'd held their hand out in friendship and been conquered, systematized, and subjected to deicide by idealists who brought into their land what had never been there before: homelessness, poverty, hierarchy, and plaguelike illnesses that rippled outward around each Mission.

This wonderful book has been a treasured resource in my classroom. It has some outstanding historical and modern photos of Native Californians in authentic settings, with their crafts, etc. The text is great, too. For instance, I wrote up an info page on Miwok government, then I had the kids read in Native Ways about Captain John. A friend of his was describing how he was a respected leader and his qualities that made him so... it exactly matched the info article. It has some good legends, one of which I'm using for a retelling practice, but what I appreciate most are the first person accounts and interviews of Native people explaining themselves and their way of life. They are short and a good length for 3rd and 4th grade readers. Enjoy, everyone.

Thomas Jefferson Mayfield was only six years old when his family first laid eyes on the grand beauty of the primal San Joaquin Valley in Central California. The year was 1850 and California had just been admitted to the Union as a free state. The Mayfield family settled near Sycamore Creek, east of what is now Bakersfield. The Choinume Yocuts Indians inhabited the region and Thomas Jefferson Mayfield later recalled that the Indians were kind and compassionate to these visitors in their land. On many occasions they showed great care for their welfare.

The Indians provided meat and food stuff during desperate times, without ever being asked. After the brief illness and death of his mother, the Indian women asked Mr. Mayfield if they could watch over little Thomas during his many absences. He knew his son would be in better company with them than the white settlers and gladly agreed to the arrangement. For ten years he grew up knowing security and peace with the Choinumne Indians. He learned their ways and their language, their games and hunting techniques.

Conflict was in store for this peaceful tribe; the Monache Indians of the upper foothills and the settlers became overtly hostile. The Yocuts were the ones caught in the middle. Not only did Thomas Jefferson watch the landscape change, but he also watched his beloved guardians decimated by civilization.

This is Thomas Jefferson Mayfield's spoken testimony to historian Frank Latta of those precious ten years. The book is pleasantly laid out in a sequence that is easy to follow. The large print also makes this publication a joy to read.

As a fifth generation native of California, I had never heard of such a case where a white child lived with any of the local tribes prior to decimation and influence of outside influences. The true nature of these early natives is thus revealed with great credibility. This remarkable experience of the young Mayfield was almost lost when he revealed his story in 1928 for the first time just prior to his death at age 85. Still, it was not until 1993 that this story was published in it's pure and beautiful essence for the modern reader to enjoy and appreciate.

A fascinating if uneven survey of many literary impressions of this unique American city. Some of the works are outstanding and evoke the peculiar Berkeley atmosphere with rare precision. Others appear merely to have been grabbed at random out of the results of a database search engine. But overall, to anyone who is drawn to this city's uniqueness, reading it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect, remember and cherish the town.