The Ohlone Way - by Malcolm Margolin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A classic of Native studies, and a beautifully immersive portrayal of the Bay Area before Europeans.

Selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the top 100 Western nonfiction books of the twentieth century.

When The Ohlone Way was first published in 1978, it transformed the popular understanding of Native California history, offering an immersive, respectful portrayal of the people who inhabited the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area prior to the arrival of Europeans. This deeply researched vision of Ohlone life and cultural traditions has resonated with generations of readers. A half-century after the book's publication, Margolin's beautifully immersive storytelling continues to inspire conversations about the crucial insights of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, the work that tribal communities are now doing to renew their cultures and languages, and the return of land to Native stewardship.

With richly detailed descriptions of many aspects of life--such as hunting, harvesting, marriage, family life, politics, religion, technology, and the arts--this classic work illuminates the nuances of a culture that thrived for millennia and endures today.

Review Quotes

"Beautifully imagined and written." --Alice Walker

"[Margolin] has written thoroughly and sensitively of the Pre-Mission Indians in a North American land of plenty. Excellent, well-written." --American Anthropologist

"Margolin conveys the texture of daily life, birth, marriage, death, war, the arts, and rituals, and he also discusses the brief history of the Ohlones under the Spanish, Mexican, and American regimes...Margolin does not give way to romanticism or political harangues, and the illustrations have a gritty quality that is preferable to the dreamy, pretty pictures that too often accompany texts like this." --Choice

"Remarkable insight in to the lives of the Ohlone Indians." --San Francisco Chronicle

"A beautiful book, written and illustrated with a genuine sympathy . . . A serious and compelling re-creation." --The Pacific Sun

About the Author

Malcolm Margolin (1940-2025) was the founder of Heyday, serving as publisher from 1974 to 2015. He cofounded the quarterly magazine News from Native California; helped found Bay Nature Institute, the Inlandia Institute, and the Alliance for California Traditional Artists; and was the founder and creative director of the California Institute for Community, Art, and Nature. His books include The Earth Manual, The East Bay Out, The Ohlone Way (selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the top one hundred Western nonfiction books of the twentieth century), The Way We Lived, and Deep Hanging Out. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, he lived in Berkeley, California.