MAXIMA AND MARIA YNITIA
Olompali and the Coast Miwok People
The Coast Miwok have inhabited the region now known as Olompali for over 13,000 years, with archaeological evidence suggesting that their presence might extend even further back. Olompali was one of their major villages, rich in cultural significance. The Coast Miwok's creator god was the Coyote, a figure central to their beliefs and stories.
In the state park today, a small replica of a Coast Miwok village offers a glimpse into their way of life. The replica includes two types of traditional kotchas (dwellings) – one made of redwood bark and another of tule reeds. These structures were practical and built with function in mind, rather than grandeur. To manage pests, the Miwok would traditionally burn down their homes and rebuild them each year. The scattered picnic tables in the park hint that this particular site is educational rather than sacred. As such, the replica serves primarily for educational purposes.
Several features within the park help tell the story of the Miwok people. For example, there is a "kitchen rock" used for preparing meals, and a trail lined with carefully preserved plants that were historically used for food and other aspects of daily life.
The arrival of Spanish and later Mexican settlers marked the beginning of a tragic era for the Coast Miwok. With colonization came disease, forced labor in the Missions, and legal policies that sanctioned the killing of Native Americans. According to Joseph Sanchez (Tribal Council Of Marin), bounties as high as $5 were offered for Miwok scalps, leading to a devastating decline in their population. By the 19th century, fewer than 100 Coast Miwok remained.
Camilo Ynitia, a Coast Miwok leader, was granted the Olompali land by the Mexican government, but he was soon forced to sell it to James Black, a local assessor who significantly undervalued the land for his own gain. Over 6,000 acres were sold for just $5,000. After Camilo’s death, his daughters, Maria Ynitia and Maxima, inherited the land as teenagers. They eventually sold what was left of it and relocated to what is now Hopland, following a forced migration reminiscent of the Trail of Tears. Maria later married Joseph Knox, who played a significant role in founding the town of Hopland.
"Tell them," he would tell his two daughters, Maxima and Maria Ynitia, as they both gathered with him. "Tell them, tell your children, tell your grandchildren, to tell their children and grandchildren, to tell their grandchildren.....Tell them never to forget our People. Tell them we were here for thousands of years. Tell them that that all changed. Tell them that we were a Peaceful and Happy People. Tell your children, in words that they will never forget!"
"Why has this happened to us, Papa," Maxima and Maria would take turns talking. "We will tell them, we'll tell our children, and they will tell thiers, and for generations on down, they will tell the Story of a People that once were here, in large numbers, our ancestors, for many many hundreds and thousands of years, dwelled on the land, freely to roam in harmony with Nature, the way we were taught, the way of our People. We will tell them, Papa."
"Tell them that they brought the diseases, they incarcerated us in what were supposed to be safe houses, Missions. They made the laws. Be strong, Maxima and Maria. It's up to you two to carry on the lineage and the heritage. Fight with all you have to preserve our history and our ways, even if that means your voice. Sit with whoever will listen, and tell them the story of Our People, The Coast Miwok (of the Southern Marin Area.) We fished these waters, we hunted these grounds, we fed our People, we danced the ceremonies. We loved our family, we were surrounded by our family. We watched the same waters of the San Francisco Bay that they will see generations after us. Tell them, Girls, Never To Forget Us!"