The Native Americans of California are continuing to heal from the wounds of the past. As California recognizes the value of its multi-ethnic diversity, its native people are encouraged to celebrate their heritage and share it with the wider California culture.

The villages moved to these various camps during harvest season, depending on the type of crop being gathered. The Ohlone ate many different foods. Everyone was responsible for bringing food to the village. The women were gatherers. They collected vegetables (wild carrots, wild onions, and mushrooms), fruits (blackberries, wild grapes, huckleberries, and strawberries), and nuts(especially acorns). The men were hunters. They hunted raccoons,ducks, geese, doves, quail, squirrels, rats, lizards, snakes, rabbits, and moles. A few types of sea creatures they ate were fish, shellfish, seals,clams, and oysters. The Ohlone used nets, traps, spears, and sling shots when hunting for smaller animals. When hunting for larger animals, such as deer, antelope, or bear, they used the bow and arrow. Arrowheads were made out of chert, obsidian, bones, and flint. After killing an animal, Ohlone hunters prayed for the animal's spirit. They believed that praying for the animal would help it be reborn. Acorns were the most important food in the California Indian diet.

Entire villages would move into the oak forests when harvest time was near. The men would shake the trees, causing the acorns to fall onto the ground. Then the women and children would gather the acorns into baskets to be stored in a granary. Using a stone mortar and pestle, the women ground the acorns into flour. The mortar, a stone bowl, held the acorns. The pestle (a stick shaped rock) hit the acorns over and over again until they were ground into a fine powder.

Acorns contain tannicacid which is very bitter and poisonous. The tannic acid had to be washed out of the flour before it could be eaten. This was done by carefully pouring water over the powder and letting the tannic acid slowly drain out with the water. The draining process, called leaching, was repeated many times, taking several hours to complete. After this process was complete, the leached acorn flour was placed into a basket that had been soaked in water. Basket fibers expand when wet, and the coils tighten so much that the basket becomes watertight; water does not seep through. The flour was then mixed with water. To cook the acorn soup, cooking rocks, basalt or soapstone, were heated in a fire (only these kinds of rock can with stand such heat, other types of rock might explode). Using wooden holders like tongs, they lifted the rocks, quickly dunked them in water to wash off the ashes, and then dropped them directly into the acorn soup in the basket. Within minutes, the soup would come to a boil and be ready to eat. Sometimes the acorn soup was poured into cold water; it would then congeal into something like a dumpling.

Baskets were an important part of Indian life. They were used for cooking, holding water, gathering foods, and religious ceremonies. There were two types of baskets, woven and intertwined. Redwood roots, tule reeds, red bud bark, and willow branches were some of the materials used. A girl's first basket was something to be proud of. Each woman had her own designs, patterns, colorings, and decorations. Basket making was an important part of a woman's life. It was a fine art that took a lot of patience and skill. It took months and even years to complete a basket, but taken care of, a basket could last a life time.

Most Ohlone homes were dome shaped, made from willow branches that were woven around supporting poles. The willow frame was covered with a tule brush, leaving a small hole at the top to let out smoke. The homes ranged from 6 to 20 feet in size. Some homes were made from pieces of redwood bark that leaned inward creating a cone shape. Each village had a sweathouse that was a bit like a sauna and used by men only. It was a place for the men of the community to gather and to spiritually prepare themselves for hunting.

Trading with tribes from other parts of California was an important part of life for the Ohlone. By trading, the Ohlone received items that were not available to them otherwise. The Ohlone traded abalone (a shiny, opalescent shell), salt, feathers, and cinnabar (a rock that, whenpounded against other rocks, made a red powder that was used for paint). These were traded for obsidian (which was used to make arrowheads). The role of trading was given to specific individuals in the village. When outside traders came to the village, they were treated verywell. They were offered a place to rest and food to eat. If the traders were powerful and well known, they were greeted with singing and dancing.The people believed it was important to treat traders with respect so that they felt welcomed and satisfied. This way they would return to the village to trade again.

The Ohlone believed that all things, whether alive or not, had a spirit. The sun was the most important spirit because it made everything grow. The Ohlone gave thanks to the sun through special ceremonies, dances, and offerings. They told stories about how the world began and other myths and legends that had been passed on from generation to generation. Dreams were also important to the Ohlone people. Their dreams brought them closer to the spirits. A person that had very powerful dreams could become a shaman. The shaman was a healer.When someone was sick, a shaman would be hired to cure the person.