A sunset view at Valley View, Yosemite Valley, is reflected in the Merced River. Yosemite was known as Ahwahnee by the original inhabitants of Yosemite Valley. In addition, Ahwahnee is believed to mean “Gaping Mouth”. This photograph of Valley View was chosen for the cover of the Native American Historical Fiction, Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya.

Moreover, “NATIONAL PARK OBSESSED” have included this novel in their “25 Books to Read Before Visiting Yosemite National Park“

To the left is El Capitan and to the right Cathedral Rocks.

Yosemite Valley View and the Ahwahneechees

🏹 The Ahwahneechees were the indigenous people who lived in Yosemite Valley for many millennia until the California Gold Rush. Subsequently, there was an outbreak of war between the indigenous people and new arrivals. During this Mariposa War, they were forced to leave their homelands. Members of the Mariposa Battalion, who invaded their valley in 1851, called them Yosemites.

In the first place, this happened when militias were authorized to protect prospectors and new settlers, by the Governor of the newly formed California State.

Yosemite is believed to mean “Grizzly Bear” or “Fierce as Grizzly Bears” in the local Indian dialect of the time. Other interpretations also suggest that it means “killers”. Yosemite was named in honor of them after they were removed from their homelands.

In fact, the first white people to set eyes on and rename the wonders of Ahwahnee (Yosemite) were members of the Mariposa Battalion. Many of these names are the ones still used today for the various sights and locations in Yosemite Valley.

The Mariposa Battalion made two incursions into the valley after the Ahwahneechees evaded capture or escaped after capture. They were guided by their crafty and courageous Chief, Tenaya. Eventually, they were tracked to Tenaya Lake (as it is known today), where the remnants of Tenaya’s family were captured. From there they were taken to the Fresno Indian Farm Reservation.

The remarkable and true story of Chief Tenaya and the Ahwahneechees is re-told in the acclaimed historical fiction Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya – a novel set in Yosemite National Park and around the Mono Basin.

This Yosemite Book is #1 in Goodreads Listopia “Books to Read Before Visiting Yosemite.

Hi, I am Paul, photographer, and author of the historical novel “Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya”. This ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ illustrated book is available in eBook and paperback formats through all major online booksellers from $2.99 (e.g. Amazon, Bookshop.org, IndieBound, Apple Books, etc) - details can be found in "Purchasing Options" in the "About the Book" drop-down.