COSTANOAN

any of several dialectally related California Indian peoples speaking a Penutian language and originally living in an area stretching from the San Francisco Bay region southward to Point Sur. The people were scattered in villages, and groupings were only later identified on the basis of proximity to the Franciscan missions established among them (see Mission Indians). Hence, the Indians were named Soledad, Monterey, San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara (linked with San Jos), and San Francisco. There were also the Indians named San Pablo, who had no mission. The Costanoan were relatively poor. The sea and streams were their chief source of food, providing mussels, salmon, sea mammals, and seaweed. Rabbits were hunted, and acorns and seeds were gathered. Housing consisted of poles covered with tules, or brush. For clothing, women wore aprons front and back, but men usually went naked. Costanoan culture was radically transformed by the establishment of missions. This caused the mixing of members of alien Indian groups and brought about the destruction of most Costanoan institutions. Today there are few identifiable Costanoan Indians remaining.