Daily Life of the Ohlone People in the San Jose Area

The Ohlone (Costanoan) peoples of the San Francisco Bay/San Jose region followed a seasonal, subsistence-based rhythm:

• Dawn: Wake, groom, spiritual offerings/prayers.
• Morning: Gender-divided foraging—women gather seeds, nuts, berries, shellfish; men hunt deer, elk, small game, fish.
• Midday: Rest, meal prep, communal eating, storytelling, tool maintenance.
• Afternoon: Continued gathering/crafting (basketry, stone tools, tule boats); prepare for evening ceremonies.
• Evening: Return to village; shared meal; social dances, songs, oral tradition.
• Night: Sleep around central fire in thatched tule houses (ruway).

Schedule shifted with seasons: acorn harvest (fall), grass seed gathering (spring), ceremonial cycles. Life was synchronized with ecological abundance.