Pre-missionization, Ohlone peoples thrived in interconnected villages along the San Francisco Bay, harmonizing with land and sea through seasonal hunts, acorn feasts, tule crafts, and intricate basketry. Spiritually, Kuksu shamanism animated their world—elaborate dances in feathered regalia invoked trickster Coyote, sweat lodges purified souls, and cremation rites honored ancestors in shellmounds, weaving creation myths of watery origins into communal resilience.