New DNA evidence backs Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s oral history claim to the Bay Area

A study published in March in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers fresh genomic evidence that the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s connection to the Bay Area goes back at least 2,000 years, the New York Times reported this month.

“Researchers from several universities extracted DNA from 12 ancient people buried in the region as far back as 2,000 years ago and found biological continuity with DNA collected from modern-day members of the tribe,” the newspaper reported.

“Validation, finally,” said Monica Arellano, the vice chair of the tribe and an author of the paper. 

“This adds to all the information we’ve put out there, years of compiling and doing research proving who we are.”

For members of the Muwekma Ohlone, these genetic results represent a new line of evidence that aligns with their tribe’s oral history.