Saratoga News The Foothill club hears about Ohlone culture Mary Ann Cook OHLONES, PAST, PRESENT: Laura Jones, an anthropologist who monitors all the archeological digs on the 8,180 acres of Stanford University was the November speaker at the Foothill Club's public lecture series. Her slide show was called "What We Need to Know about the Ohlone Culture--the Past and the Future." The information archeologists glean about prehistoric cultures from examining rocks and bones, former huts and gravesites, is quite amazing. The Ohlones, the name given to the Native Americans who lived in this part of California, were impressively sophisticated for a hunter/gatherer culture. They were and are a generous, gregarious people with an incredible sense of humor, Jones said. They loved to party and would walk to a gathering in Pleasanton, a two-day journey. And then back again. Though they didn't cultivate any crops, they had an amazingly varied diet--some 60 different grains, plus an equal variety of meat and game. Their baskets were so well made they could hold water, and they were used in cooking as well. There were 200 different living communities, each with its own laws, language and myths. Tribal taboos held that they weren't allowed to marry within their own tribe, so they had to seek out other settlements to find a mate. Thus each family was multicultural, with mother and father speaking different languages and their offspring probably conversant in at least three languages. Every part of California was inhabited by Indians, including the deserts and mountains. Indians were here for at least 8,000 years and possibly longer, having crossed from Asia via Alaska. One of the oldest dated settlements was found in Scotts Valley. There was a hierarchy of rich and poor, inherited wealth and even polygamy. Pre-history Indians set broken bones and performed surgery, but dentistry was another matter: Many died from infected teeth, archeologists find. The missions and presidios were all built by Indian labor, and the artwork is theirs as well. Eighty percent of Indians died in the first 20 years of Spanish rule, mostly from disease. At present, the closest tribal office is in Campbell, and there are but 600 members. Is it any wonder most Indians don't celebrate Thanksgiving? The Forbes Mill Museum in Los Gatos has an Ohlone Indian exhibit on display until Jan. 10. The exhibit was developed with the help of a contemporary Ohlone tribe. REUNION AIRS: The "Buffalo Bob Reunion Show" will air on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. on Channel 5's "Evening Magazine" program. "Buffalo Bob" was a children's show produced on Channel 9 in the mid-1950s; and featuring cartoons, songs and history lessons. Les Landin of Saratoga is Buffalo Bob and being a teacher, he included some of his sixth-graders as regulars in the show. "Evening Magazine" decided that a reunion show was in order and so contacted the regulars and even flew in a couple from the east and midwest. When last seen on TV, these folks were 11 or 12 years old, but are now in their 50s. Today Buckskin Bob is still Buckskin Bob on stage, not on a TV show, but as leader of the Skillet Family, a gutbucket band that includes both old-timers and youngsters. The Skillet Family plays and sings at functions throughout the Bay Area--senior centers, schools and village festivities. LATEST CD: The latest compact disc from the California Youth Symphony features an original work by music director Leo Eylar performed by Kenneth Hsu in a violin solo. The CD was recorded both live and in concert from the repertoire of the symphony's 1998 tour in Spain. Other selections on the disc are "Don Juan" by Richard Strauss, the "Firebird Suite" by Igor Stravinsky and "Three Dances from the Three-Cornered Hat" by Manuel De Falla. Eylar's work is called "An Orpheus Legend." Saratogans who are members of CYS are Jay Bordeleau, percussions; Mark Hsu and Samuel Lee, violin; Colby Smith, clarinet; Christopher Yamayuchi, principal trombone; and Daniel Yao, flute. Both Kenneth Hsu, concertmaster, and the youth symphony have received international acclaim, having been invited to perform nearly all over the world. Africa and South America are the only continents the group hasn't performed in--yet. Their CD is $15 and available at CYS concerts or from the office at 441 California Ave., #5 Palo Alto, 94306. The phone is 650/325-6666. DRAGON HONORED: The Happy Dragon Thrift Shop was honored by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives' Silicon Valley Chapter recently for their fundraising efforts over the years to benefit Eastfield Ming Quong. The Happy Dragon raises $250,000 annually. EMQ provides services and housing to troubled youngsters and their families. Volunteers at the Los Gatos thrift shop come from Saratoga, Los Gatos and Monte Sereno. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 9, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.