Ramaytush dialect facts for kids

The Ramaytush language was one of eight Ohlone languages. It was spoken long ago by the Ramaytush people. These people were native to California.

The Ramaytush people lived on the San Francisco Peninsula. This area is between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Today, it includes the cities of San Francisco and San Mateo. Ramaytush is part of the Ohlone language group. This group belongs to the larger Utian family. The name "Ramaytush" was first used for this language in the 1970s.

Where Was Ramaytush Spoken?

The Ramaytush language area was mostly surrounded by the ocean. To the south, it bordered lands where people spoke the Tamyen language. These people lived in the Santa Clara Valley. Also to the south, near Point Año Nuevo, people spoke dialects similar to the Awaswas language.

Across San Francisco Bay to the east, tribes spoke the Chochenyo language. To the north, across the Golden Gate, lived the Huimen tribe. They spoke the Coast Miwok language. The Yelamu tribe lived in northern San Francisco. They were Ramaytush speakers. At the time Spanish people arrived, they had married into the Huchiun Chochenyo tribe from the Oakland area.

Why Did the Ramaytush Language Disappear?

European diseases greatly affected all native people. Many became sick after coming to Mission Dolores. This mission was built in 1776. The Ohlone people were forced to learn and use Spanish. This led to their own languages being lost.

Hundreds of Ohlone people from Mission Dolores were moved. They went north to help build Mission San Rafael. This new mission was used as a hospital for sick native people. A researcher named Alfred L. Kroeber believed that the people of the west bay were gone by 1915. This means their language was no longer spoken.

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