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Ritual and Religion in the Ohlone Cultural Area of Central California

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Ritual and Religion in the Ohlone Cultural Area of Central California San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Master's Theses Master's Theses and Graduate Research Fall 2015 Ritual and Religion in the Ohlone Cultural Area of Central California Doug Jones San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses Recommended Citation Jones, Doug, "Ritual and Religion in the Ohlone Cultural Area of Central California" (2015). Master's Theses. 4642. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.8pq6-ynq5 https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4642 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RITUAL AND RELIGION IN THE OHLONE CULTURAL AREA OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Anthropology San José State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Douglas A. Jones December 2015 © 2015 Douglas A. Jones ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Designated Thesis Committee Approves the Thesis Titled RITUAL AND RELIGION IN THE OHLONE CULTURAL AREA OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA by Douglas A. Jones APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY December 2015 Dr. Marco Meniketti Department of Anthropology Dr. Charlotte Sunseri Department of Anthropology Dr. Chuck Darrah Department of Anthropology ABSTRACT RITUAL AND RELIGION IN THE OHLONE CULTURAL AREA OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA by Douglas A. Jones This thesis is an analysis of aspects of ritual and religion based upon reports from archaeological sites throughout the historical territory of the Native American peoples grouped by ethnographers under the term Ohlone, as well as other relevant sources of ethnographic, historical, and biographical information. Through research and review of recorded site documentation, as well as consultation with local archaeologists, three sites which clearly and extensively represent aspects of Ohlone religious life were identified and described in detail. This included type sites for mortuary practices, rock art, and cosmology/archaeoastronomy. The compilation and analysis of this material generated important information regarding an as-yet poorly understood aspect of prehistoric life in the Central California area, as well as potentially providing insight into the role of ritual and religion in California more generally. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people I would like to thank for their assistance in completing this thesis. First and foremost I need to thank my wife, Jamie, without whom I would never have finished this work, who provided constant encouragement, comment, suggestions, and boundless patience during countless evenings of research and writing. My committee chair, Marco Meniketti, worked with me through the many changes to, and iterations of, this thesis. The other members of my committee, Charlotte Sunseri and Chuck Darrah, provided much needed advice, directed me to important sources, and provided space within their courses to allow me to develop this work. Robert Cartier, whom I have studied under and worked for over many years, provided many of the archaeological reports, monographs, and other materials upon which this thesis was built, as well as suggestions and motivation throughout the process. Finally, thanks to the many other faculty members and students at San Jose State University, family, and friends, who informed my ideas and fostered my interest in archaeology. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Specific Objectives ........................................................................................................2 Objective #1: Literature Review ..............................................................................3 Objective #2: Case Studies ......................................................................................3 Objective #3: Synthesis and Conclusions ................................................................3 Mortuary Practices .........................................................................................................4 Rock Art .........................................................................................................................5 Ohlone Cosmology, Mythic Geography, and Archaeoastronomy .................................8 Case Studies ...................................................................................................................9 Overview of Bay Area Prehistory ..................................................................................9 Chapter 2: Methods ............................................................................................................15 Research Design...........................................................................................................15 Research Methodology ................................................................................................16 Review of Historical, Ethnographic, and Archival Sources ........................................18 Case Studies of Three Archaeological Sites ................................................................19 Statistical Methods .......................................................................................................25 Chapter 3: Literature Review .............................................................................................26 Theoretical Orientation ................................................................................................26 Religion and Ritual ................................................................................................26 vi Conceptions of Hunter-Gatherer Religion: Totemism, Animism, and Shamanism .......................................................................................................32 Theoretical History ......................................................................................................35 Overview of Historical Sources on Ohlone Ritual and Religion .................................38 European Explorer's Accounts, 1542-1776 ............................................................38 The Portola Expedition, 1769 ..........................................................................39 The Fages Expeditions, 1770 and 1772 .......................................................... 40 The Rivera-Palou Expedition, 1774 ................................................................ 41 The Voyage of the San Carlos, 1775 ............................................................... 41 The Anza-Font Expedition, 1776 .................................................................... 43 Mission Documents, 1776-1830 ............................................................................44 The Interragatorio, 1812 ................................................................................. 44 European and American Traveler's Accounts, 1786-1847 .....................................45 The Account of La Perouse, 1786 ................................................................... 45 The Rezanov and Langsdorff Accounts, 1806 ................................................ 46 The Golovnin Account, 1818 .......................................................................... 48 The Beechey and Peard Accounts, 1827 ......................................................... 48 The Duhaut-Cilly Account, 1827 .....................................................................49 American Period Histories .....................................................................................49 Overview of Ethnographic Sources on Ohlone Ritual and Religion ...........................51 Chapter 4: Results of Case Studies ....................................................................................57 The Lick Mill Boulevard Site: CA-SCL-6W ...............................................................57 vii Burial data ..............................................................................................................59 Cluster ..............................................................................................................60 Disposal........................................................................................................... 60 Sex................................................................................................................... 62 Age .................................................................................................................. 62 Condition......................................................................................................... 62 Position ........................................................................................................... 63 Disposition ...................................................................................................... 63 Orientation ...................................................................................................... 63 Facing .............................................................................................................
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