Chochenyo facts for kids
| lisiánish Impt | |
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| Languages | |
| Chochenyo language |
The Chochenyo (pronounced Cho-CHEN-yo) are one of the many groups of Ohlone people who have lived in Northern California for a very long time. They are also known as Chocheño or Chocenyo. The Chochenyo lived on the east side of the San Francisco Bay, in an area called the East Bay. This area is mostly what we now call Alameda County and Contra Costa County. Their land stretched from the Berkeley Hills all the way to the western Diablo Range.
The Chochenyo people also have their own language, which is also called Chochenyo. It is part of the Costanoan family of languages, which are related to the Utian family. Experts believe that Chochenyo, Tamyen, and Ramaytush were very similar languages, almost like different ways of speaking the same language.
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A Look at Chochenyo History
The Ohlone tribes, including the Chochenyo, were hunter-gatherers. This means they found their food by hunting animals and gathering plants, rather than farming. They moved into the San Francisco Bay Area around the year 500 CE.
Scientists have found very old sites in Chochenyo territory, like the ancient Newark, West Berkeley, and Emeryville Shellmounds. These sites show that people have lived in the Bay Area since about 4000 BCE, which is a very long time ago!
Where the Chochenyo Lived
The Chochenyo territory had neighbors all around. To the north, near Mount Diablo, were the Karkin people. To the south and southwest were the Tamyen. The San Francisco Bay was to their west. Their land also touched areas where the Bay Miwok and Yokuts people lived to the east.
Life During the Mission Era
During the time of the California Missions, many Chochenyo people moved to the Mission San Francisco de Asís (founded in 1776) in San Francisco, and Mission San José (founded in 1797) in Fremont. Most Chochenyo people went to one of these missions. There, they were baptized and learned about the Catholic faith. They were called neophytes or Mission Indians.
This period lasted until 1834, when the Mexican Government closed the missions. After the missions closed, the Chochenyo people found themselves without land. Sadly, many Chochenyo people became sick and died during their time at the missions or soon after. By the year 1900, only a small number of Chochenyo people remained. The last two native speakers of the Chochenyo language were recorded in the 1920s by a linguist named John Peabody Harrington.
The Chochenyo Today
Today, the Chochenyo people have joined together with other Ohlone groups from the San Francisco Bay Area. They are now known as the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. As of 2007, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe was working to be officially recognized by the U.S. federal government.
Chochenyo Villages
The East Bay area and the mountain valleys to the east were home to many different Chochenyo tribes and villages. You can find more information about them here:
Images for kids
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Ohlone elders at Alisal Rancheria (now Pleasanton California)
