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The Esselen were the Native American inhabitants of what is now known as Big Sur on the Central Coast of California. Archaeological and linguistic evidence indicates that their territory extended much further north, into the San Francisco Bay Area, until they were displaced by the entrance of Ohlone speakers some 2,500-4,500 years ago.

The Esselen resided in the upper Carmel and Arroyo Seco rivers, and along the Big Sur coast. There were also settlements in the coastal mountains. They lived in one of the most beautiful areas of the Pacific coast, among redwoods, plunging seacliffs and spectacular beaches. They were hunter-gatherers who resided in small groups with no centralized political authority.

The Esalen Institute in Big Sur is named after this group.

Contents 1 Population 2 Language 3 See Also 4 References

Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. (See Population of Native California.) Alfred L. Kroeber (1925:883) suggested a 1770 population for the Esselen of 500. Sherburne F. Cook (1976:186) raised this estimate to 750. A more recent calculation is that they numbered 1,185-1,285 in 1770.

The Esselen were absorbed into the population of Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo in present-day Carmel, California, where many died from disease, demoralization, poor food, and overwork. A number of people today can still trace their ancestry to the Esselen.

(see Esselen language)

• Ohlone
• Kuksu religion

• Breschini, Gary S. and Trudy Haversat 2005. The Esselen Indians of the Big Sur Country: The Land and the People. Coyote Press, Salinas, California.
• Cook, Sherburne F. 1976. The Conflict between the California Indian and White Civilization. University of California Press, Berkeley.
• Kroeber, A. L. 1925. Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. Washington, D.C.