Information About Costanoan
The coastal tribes of Southern California have a history in the region that some estimate goes back 20,000 years. The arrival of Spanish missionaries in the 1770 led to the creation of the Seven missions—San Carlos, Soledad, San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San José, and Dolores (San Francisco). The populations of native people were decimated by introduced pathogens and the subsequent conversations to Catholicism under the Indian Reductions policies implemented by the Spanish colonizers of the New World with the purpose of assimilating indigenous populations into European culture and religion. Many of the California tribes are categorized together as Mission Tribes.
To read a comprehensive tribal history please visit the tribes website by clicking here.
For a complete list of coastal california tribes click here.
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