Lamchin facts for kids

The Lamchin were a group of Native American people. They were part of the larger Ohlone (or Coastanoan) family of tribes. The Lamchin lived along the San Francisco Peninsula in what is now San Carlos, California. We don't have a lot of information about them because they didn't have a written language. Most of what we know comes from old records kept by Spanish missionaries. Sadly, it's believed that the Lamchin people no longer exist as a distinct group today.

Who Were the Lamchin?

Where Did the Lamchin Live?

The Lamchin people lived in an area that is now San Carlos, California. They had several neighbors, who were also part of the Ohlone language group. To their northwest lived the Ssalson people, near what is now Belmont, California. To the south were the Suchihín, near the southern end of Crystal Springs Reservoir. East of the Lamchin lived the Puichon, in the area of modern-day Redwood City, California.

All these groups, including the Lamchin, spoke a language that belonged to the Ohlone (or Costanoan) language family. This language family is also known as Utian.

Lamchin Villages and Their Names

The Lamchin people may have had two main villages. One was called Ormostac, which was close to their Ssalson neighbors. Their most important village was Cachanigtac. This village was located directly south of downtown San Carlos, along a creek called Pulgas Creek today.

The name Cachanigtac seems to have included a word for vermin, like fleas. Because of this, the Spanish missionaries translated the name as las Pulgas, which means "the Fleas." This name still lives on today in a local main road called Alameda de las Pulgas. This road connects many towns along the San Francisco Peninsula. Spanish mission records also mention other Lamchin villages named Ussete, Guloisnistac, and Ssupichom.

The Lamchin and the Spanish Missions

The first Lamchin people were baptized at Mission San Francisco de Asís (also known as Mission Dolores) in 1777. The last Lamchin person was baptized there in 1794. In total, the mission's baptism records show that 139 Lamchin people were baptized during this time.

Understanding Historical Records

Why Spellings Can Be Different

It's important to remember that the old Spanish mission records are not always clear or complete. The missionaries were trying to write down Native American names using their own Spanish language and sounds. Because of this, the same word might be spelled in different ways in different records. Later, historians tried to write these names using our modern English sounds, which can also lead to different spellings. This is why experts on the Lamchin people might spell names differently.

Currently, two main historians, Milliken (1995) and Brown (1973), have written a lot about the Lamchin. The table below shows some of the different spellings they used for the same names. Milliken's spellings are often preferred today.