Before the Spaniards

The Ohlone people, named by the Spaniards as Costanoan, inhabited the area of San Francisco Bay Area through Monterey Bay to the lower Salinas Valley. They spoke Ohlone languages and were known by the Miwuk tribe as people of the west. The Ohlone languages are Awaswas, Chalon, Chochenyo, Karkin, Mutsun, Ramaytush, Rumsen and Tamyen. These languages can be compared with the Roman sub-family of indo European languages.

Map of the Costanoan languages and major villages

Antropologists believe that the Ohlone have inhabited the region since the 6th century AD, they came from the San Joaquin-Sacramento river system, either displacing or assimilating Hokan speaking populations. The Hokan can be traced back to 4000 BC.

The name Islais come from a Salinan Native American word which is the name for a wild cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) native of coastal California and northern Baja California. Yelamu, part of the Ohlone language group, had villages along the creek until the Gold Rush.

Hollyleaf Cherry, Prunus ilicifolia