The Volvon were one of the Bay Miwok tribelets living in Contra Costa County at the time of European contact. They were a hill people based in the rugged Black Hills southeast of Mt. Diablo. The mountain itself was in Volvon hands. It had been the home of the supernatural First People, who created Indians and their world, and was a spiritual focus for nearly every tribe that could see it. Shamen and religious leaders went to the mountain to pray. Everyday people would visit its slopes for intertribal festivals. This meant the Volvon must have been a prosperous people. One did not just sashay into Volvon territory without bearing tribute for the privilege. Imagine the trade goods the Volvons acquired this way. They were regular participants in regional trade festivals hosted by their Ohlone neighbors, the Ssaoams, at the Brushy Peak trading grounds not far from the Altamont Pass. The Volvons’ preeminent position at the crossroads of Central California no doubt made them a sophisticated and cosmopolitan people.
That Volvons were active traders does not mean their territory was short on natural resources. The name ‘Volvon’ itself roughly translates as “natural springs,” which befits a triblet based in the Black Hills where the headwaters of a number of perennial creeks rise. The highland heart of Volvon territory today is rich in oak, pine, and manzanita. Mount Diablo is home to a number of endemic plant species–rare resources controlled by Volvons. Open rangelands, now mostly overrun with nonnative grasses, must once have been covered with food-bearing plants. Deer, elk, and antelope were no doubt abundant in the lighly settled ridges and valleys on the eastern side of the territory.
Volvon territory gives every appearance of once having supported a substantial population. We have discovered 81 bedrock mortar sites, and over 2,100 bedrock mortars. Each site carries its own sense of place and is an individual window into the past. As you walk the paths that connect these sites and build up a richer mental map and sense of the landscape, you may acquire a feeling for the possibilities of life in Volvon territory in the not so distant past.
There are magical and metaphysical powers associated with Mt. Diablo and the Black Hills. Go there now and experience its effect on your perspective. Steep yourself in prehistory. The Spanish extirpated the Volvons from their homeland 200 years ago, but physically, their territory remains virtually intact today. The land still has a life of its own.
Below Cave Point11 bedrock mortars all one one rock.Think those big holes are geoconcretions? Think again. They are huge bowl mortars. Their side walls bulge out into the surrounding rock in a classic “Olla” shape–the bowl is wider at the side walls than it is at the rim. The bottoms of these bowls are basically […]
Live Oak Campground28 bedrock mortar milling station; nearby pictograph cave of probable historic origin.This settlement and the one at Rock City are the highest habitation sites in the Volvon Territory. Many ancient trails converge near Curry Point, not far from here, suggesting that these two sites sat at the gateway to the top of Mount […]
North Morgan Territory Ridge2 bedrock mortars and 4 or 5 bowls near the head of a watercourse. Probable housepits.Elevation 2112 ft.A bedrock mortar adjacent to one of the probable housepits.A big bowl.A bowl with a “fishtail” in the rim, a feature we’ve encountered at several sites in Volvon territory.Photograph by Bob Bardell.We believe the trinomial […]
Clayton Ranch TsektselProbable Prayer Circle (tsektsel)Elevation 1520 ft.The prayer circle is a ruin today–its once-stacked rocks likely knocked about by grazing cattle. Mt. Diablo is still there though.
Lower Village OverlookOne bowl-shaped mortar about 7″ in diameter.One larger bowl mortar with a V-shaped cone mortar inside it.Both mortars on one rock.We call this area overlooking the Lower Volvon Village “Louise’s Shelf” in honor of Louise Lacey, whose interest in power spots in the East Bay led us to this site and others nearby.This […]
Silva Creek Cave1 bedrock mortar in a rock shelter; a possible basin metate.Elevation 713 ft.Bob stands at the mouth of the cave. There’s plenty of room inside and comfortable sleeping areas.This beautiful cone-shaped mortar sits right in the middle of an ergonomically contoured rock slab.We believe the trinomial for this site is CA-CCO-6.
Green’s Village in Fig Pig Gulch75+ bedrock mortars; housepits.Elevation 716 ft.Jeff discovered this beautiful village on a Thanksgiving morning (!) reconnaisance hike. A great find, Jeff. The village extends over a wide area, and, like the Volvon Village, could be viewed as a collection of separate sites. We prefer the holistic view. About half the […]
Upper East Morgan Territory RidgeSix bedrock mortars.Elevation 1952 ft.There are two clusters of mortar rocks at this site. The second cluster lies about 250 ft. to the northwest.There are great views of the Central Valley from this shelf, and it’s only 35 minutes from the Morgan Territory parking lot. A great place for a picnic.
Below Knobcone Point Road21 bedrock mortars, 16 on one rock.This may have been a seasonal camp, viable when there was water flowing in the nearby branches of Sycamore Creek. The notch cut by Sycamore Creek through the Black Hills provides one of the few easy routes into Volvon territory, so this camp may have had […]