Upper Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Point Photograph and the Ahwahnee Legend of The Lost Arrow
Tag: Ahwahneechee
Ahwahneechee people are Native Americans who lived in Yosemite Valley (Ahwahnee). They are Northern Paiutes, related to the Mono Paiutes.
They lived in Yosemite for many millennia before being driven from their homelands during the Mariposa Indian War of 1850/51. At this time the Gold Rush had brought tens of thousands of new settlers into California seeking their fortunes.
These new settlers ousted the indigenous people from their land. This led to skirmishes, robberies, and murders. To protect the prospectors and settlers, the State Governor authorized the formation of the Mariposa Battalion. They entered Yosemite in 1851 to eventually drive out the Ahwahneechee families.
The true story of the Ahawahneechee people and their Chief, Tenaya, is re-told in the historical fiction Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya.
Rush Creek, Yosemite and the story of the indigenous Paiutes of the Mono Basin, California
Mount Watkins, Yosemite was named after one of the pioneering photographers of Yosemite, Carleton E. Watkins, who led a remarkable yet tragic life.
Photograph of Tunnel View Yosemite with extract from the Yosemite Indian Petition to the US President and Congress of 1891
Mono Lake is where Chief Tenaya of the Ahwahneechees was born. His unforgettable story is told in the historical novel, Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya
Photograph of Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park, with a tale of the legend of Ahweiya. The photo appears in the Native American historical novel, Great Spirit of Yosemite
Photograph of Bridalveil Fall taken in springtime to capture rainbows near the base of the fall. The original name for the Fall was Pohono
Three Brothers Yosemite photograph. This photo appears in the Native American historical fiction Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya
Photograph of Cathedral Rocks and Spires with reflections in a pond near the Merced River. This photograph is used in the Native American historical novel, Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya
Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Valley. Photograph used in the Native American historical novel Great Spirit of Yosemite