Ranchos and Growth

, Spanish colonization in the 1700s destroyed traditional Ohlone tribal life and threatened fragile ecosystems. In 1834, Mexico enacted a plan to reduce the areas under control of the missions. As part of this plan, the native people were to receive half of all the mission lands. Unfortunately, except for a few land grants issued to individual families in the South Bay, the converted Ohlone people did not receive any land, but continued to live and work on the large ranchos as vaqueros (cowboys) and servants., The Ohlone fared no better after California came under American rule. Many new American landowners did not continue to use Indian labor, leaving many with nowhere to go. Ecological damage to ancestral lands increased with large scale sheep and cattle ranching. Grasslands were overgrazed, non-native grasses were introduced, forests were harvested, marshland was developed for agriculture and many waterways were spoiled due to mining and ranching activities. For many native people, food resources became limited. Private ownership and the dividing up and fencing of land limited access for traditional hunting, food gathering and fishing. Life for native Californians was forever changed., Of the estimated one and one-half million Indians living in California in 1769, barely 20,000 were identified in the years between 1900 and 1933. However, families speaking several of the Ohlone Languages continued to live within their traditional territories well into the 20th century. Today, many Ohlone Indians still reside in this region and are actively involved in revitalizing cultural ways. Several Ohlone tribal groups and individuals have been recognized by state, county and local governments. Some of these groups are currently seeking restoration as Federally Recognized Tribes.,