ESSELEN

The ancestral homeland of the Esselen was along the Pacific coast and inland in the Santa Lucia Mountains (part of the Coast Range) between the Carmel River and Point Lopez, south of present-day Monterey, California. This coastal region, consisting of tall steep cliffs intersected by small creeks, is now known as Big Sur.

The name Esselen, pronounced ES-eh-len and sometimes written as Eslene, possibly derives from Ex’seien for “the rock.” It was very likely the name of a particular village, applied to the Indians of the region by non-Indians. Little is known of the Esselen language. Considered an isolate, it is generally classified in the Hokan phylum. Six village names have been recorded from the 18 th century. It is assumed that the Esselen maintained a hunter-gatherer way of life similar to that of other CALIFORNIA INDIANS, although in greater isolation than many of the other tribes because of their homeland’s rugged landscape. They were practitioners of the Kuksu Cult, typical to other central California tribes (see WINTUN). Rock art handprints have been found in their territory.

Like many other coastal California Indians, the Esselen were absorbed into the Spanish-controlled mission population. Known to the Spanish by 1602 through the seagoing explorations of Sebastian Vis-caino, many were “settled” at the mission at San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey in 1770, the second mission to be founded by the Franciscan friar Junipero Serra. It was soon moved south to the Carmel River, becoming known as Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo. The Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, established in 1791, also became a forced home for some Esselen. Other peoples in the area, such as the COSTANOAN living to the north, were moved to missions along with them. Many Indians died at the missions, from overwork, malnourishment, and disease. In 1802, pneumonia and diphtheria spread to the Native population in the region, and in 1806, measles. At the missions, the cultures of the various tribes merged, and the peoples came to be grouped together in texts as MISSION INDIANS. In fact, the Esselen have been cited in many texts as the first of the California tribes to become culturally extinct, by about 1820.

It is now known that some Esselen avoided Spanish control by hiding in the mountains, maintaining a small community into the 1840s. Over time, they settled among other Indians or, denying their Indian heritage, built lives among non-Indians even as they maintained a sense of tribal identity. Descendants belonging to two groups now consider themselves Esse-len: the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, centered in San Mateo, and the Ohlone/Costonoan Esselen Nation, centered in Palo Alto. A not-for-profit organization known as Window to the West was founded by Esselen Indian descendants in 1989 to trace genealogy and revive Esselen traditions.

A number of Esselen have worked as guides in the Ventana Wilderness in Monterey County, their ancestral territory. In September 1999, the Tassajara Fire, ignited by lightning, destroyed some 87,000 acres, thus hurting the livelihood of many tribal members. The following November, a benefit concert featuring Joan Baez, Baba Olatunji, and other performers was held in Santa Cruz to raise money for those affected.