Tag: Paiute

Paiute are a Native American indigenous group (Numa) of the Great Basin in the USA. They comprise Northern Paiute and Southern Paiute. At one time their homelands embraced more than 30 million acres.
The Southern Paiutes homelands include lands in northwestern Arizona, southern Nevada, and southeastern California. They speak Ute.
The Northern Paiutes include lands in north-western Nevada, southern Idaho, eastern Oregon, and north-eastern California. They also include Mono Paiutes, known as Kucadikadi (or Kootzaduka’a and other derivatives). In total there are about 22 indigenous groups. Their languages are related, being a Numic group of Uto-Aztecan speakers.

Kucadikadi live near Mono Lake (called Kootzagwae, Kootsa-baa’a, or Kootsavi-gwaytu), in California. They are the southernmost group of Northern Paiutes (Numu people). The Kucadikadi have lived in and around the Mono and Yosemite region for many millennia. Traditionally, they are hunter-gatherers, migrating throughout the region, harvesting crops, seeds, fruit, and catching game as they became seasonably available. These seasonal migrations created trade routes and relationships that include shared histories and traditions. They were masters of their environment, living in harmony with nature. Their lives were disrupted when white settlers arrived in their homelands during the 19th century, altering their lives forever.

The Ahwahneechees are a group of Paiutes that traditionally lived in Ahwahnee, now known as Yosemite Valley. Ahwahnee means “gaping mouth”, referring to the shape of the cliffs when viewed from the valley floor. These indigenous people had lived in and around the valley for over 3,000 years.

During the time of the California Gold Rush, tens of thousands of arrivals came into California to seek their fortunes. These new settlers took over the traditional homelands of the indigenous peoples, driving them away or into reservations. Confrontations between the original inhabitants and new settlers led to reprisals, fighting, and murders. The State Governor of the newly-formed State of California authorized the establishment of militia with orders to protect the white populations. War broke out.
One such militia was the Mariposa Battalion, which was established in 1850. Conflicts had arisen between the Ahwahneechees and prospectors and traders in and around Mariposa. In 1851 this Battalion entered Ahwahnee (Yosemite) in March 1851 to drive the Ahwahneechees out of their valley and to take them to reservations. They were the first white people to encounter the magnificent sights of the valley.

The true and courageous story of the Ahwahneechees and their Chief, Tenaya, is re-told in the epic historical fiction Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya. A five-star reviewed novel.