Chalon people facts for kids
The Chalon people were a group of Native Americans who lived in Northern California. They were one of eight main groups of the Ohlone (Costanoan) people. Their language, also called Chalon (or Soledad), was part of the Utian language family. Some experts believe the Chalon language was a mix between northern and southern Ohlone languages.
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Where the Chalon People Lived
The exact area where the Chalon people lived has been discussed by historians. Early studies in the 1900s suggested they lived in the Salinas Valley. This area is around the modern town of Soledad. It also included the nearby Arroyo Seco area and Chalon Creek.
However, a more recent study from the late 1900s suggests a different location. This study places the Chalon people farther east. They might have lived in the rugged Coast Range valleys. This area includes the upper Chalon Creek and the San Benito River. It also includes the small creeks near San Benito Mountain. This later study says that the Esselen people, specifically the Eslenajan group, lived in most of the Salinas Valley.
Their Way of Life
We don't have many specific details about the Chalon people's daily tools or crafts. But we know they were hunter-gatherers. This means they hunted animals and gathered plants for food. They hunted deer and collected acorns, which was common for Native American groups in California.
The Chalon territory was surrounded by other Native American groups. To the east were the Mutsun, another Ohlone group. To the north were the Rumsen, also Ohlone. The Esselen lived to their west in the Salinas Valley. The Salinan people were to the south. And the Yokuts people lived to the east in the San Joaquin Valley.
Life Changes with Spanish Missions
The lives of the Chalon people changed a lot when the Spanish missions arrived. In 1791, Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was built. Many Chalon people came to live at the mission between 1795 and 1814. There, they were baptized and learned about the Catholic faith. They were called neophytes or Mission Indians.
At Mission Soledad, many Chalon people married Esselen speakers from the area. Others married Yokuts people who also came to the mission. The Mexican Government closed Mission Soledad in 1835. This was part of a time called secularization. After the mission closed, the Chalon survivors spread out. Most went to work on farms and ranches in west-central California. Many who had Yokuts family moved east into the San Joaquin Valley.
Chalon Villages and Groups
The Franciscan priests at Mission Soledad wrote about the term Chalon. They used it to describe a region. People who were baptized at the mission were sometimes listed as coming from specific villages. Examples include "Ponojo del Chalon" and "Zusotica del Chalon."
An early expert, A.L. Kroeber, believed the Chalon language area was all around Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. He even mapped a village called Wacharo-n right next to the mission. However, a newer idea suggests that the Esselen people, specifically the Eslenajan group, lived near Soledad when the mission was founded. This idea places the Guachirron group (Rumsen speakers) farther north near Monterey Bay. It suggests the actual Chalon villages were located east of the Salinas Valley.
