Some Yosemite Indian History You Did Not Know

Posted June 27, 2009 - 2:19pm by Yosemite Blog
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Some Yosemite Indian History You Did Not Know

This site is all about cultural preservation that the National Park Service has decided "not" to do. Instead, they have decided to allow an non-profit organization to represent the American Indian culture of Yosemite Valley, all in the name of profit and explotation.

This site is dedicated to exposing the truth about the American Indian culture of Yosemite, thats being replaced and another none shoved in its place, to support the NPS agenda.

There is a point.....

Around 1980 a group of Yosemite National Park employees of American Indian descent got together and made a non-profit called the American Indian Council of Mariposa. They did this to become an official tribe, but to be an official tribe they had to pass criteria set up by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Branch of Federal Acknowledgment.

What many of us believe, and we have quite a bit of proof, is that to meet the criteria for federal recognition certain people at the park assisted them to change the history of Yosemite; the history of the Native American people, maybe unknowingly or maybe on purpose.

To try to meet the criteria the non-profit group changed it's name from the American Indian Council of Mariposa to the Southern Sierra Miwuks. You see there was more written about Miwoks in Yosemite than about Indians of Mariposa County.

So we believe that they modified themselves to the name.

The group is primarily made up of Casson Yokuts from Madera County, Central Miwoks who assisted James Savage and signers of the Fremont treaty and others. They are not the original American Indians of Yosemite, but only descendants of Indians who went to work at the park.

They started to claim that Yosemite was their ancient homeland, but they really only had ties to Yosemite as employees and former employees to the park. The group as of 1999 had gotten over $400,000 dollars in grants to become a tribe. Yet most of the founders of the group are already enrolled members of other tribes and so are their children.

We Paiutes started to notice that our ancestors, who were part of the original people of Yosemite, were suddenly being changed from Paiutes to Miwoks. That started to appear in books, publications and even guide markers in Yosemite National Park. They were even on the governmental websites.

We noticed employees and former employees of the park were actually changing historical accounts NOT for the benefit of the general public, but to meet the criteria for their efforts to become a tribe. Children were now repeating the lie and NOT getting the true history of Yosemite.

This is a big conflict of Interest, since they were employees of the park, and influencing the actual history of a national park. Some of us believe that once they become federally recognized, by changing the history of Yosemite to match themselves, they are going for a casino around Mariposa or Midpines. Now that might be great for the county...how was it gotten? Through misinformation? That is why we ask and park will not listen, because they are "friends" with these fellow employees of the Park and the park has gone into an unheard of 15 year agreement with the Southern Sierra Miwuks, a non-profit, and not a tribe.

http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/sharebook/532911835&tag=taboose

Comments

by Anonymous - Jun 28 2009 - 9:10pm

The note posted about the so-called-conspiracy of the park service and local American Indians to revise history was written by a crackpot. His view is not held by the mainstream Mono Lake Paiutes. It says that "SUDDENLY" our ancestors were being changed from Paiutes to Miwoks. Well the truth is historians have been saying that thet people of Yosemite were a group of Southern Sierra Miwok since the nineteenth century.

It's sad that such a prolific blogger can foist such lies on the public - not to mention his racist language, in other blogs, toward the people on the west slope of the Sierra.

by Anonymous - Jul 5 2009 - 2:28am

Oh really. Show the proof that Yosemite was Miwok? Miwoks were the workers/scouts for James Savage. Mono Lake Paiutes can prove that Chief Tenaya and his band were Mono Paiutes, can Miwoks prove that Tenaya was Southern Sierra Miwuk? The news signs in the Park were created in 2000 with photos of Paiutes as Miwoks. So explain that to us...IF YOU CAN.

First prove that those who are claiming to be Southern Sierra Miwuks are even Miwoks or from Yosemite.

We can prove they are not.

by Anonymous - Jul 5 2009 - 2:38am

Everything we know about the original Yosemite Indians comes from Dr. Lafayette H. Bunnell's book The Discovery of the Yosemite that is sold INSIDE the Yosemite National Park bookstore and here is what it says:

Page 223

Major Savage sent Cow-chitty, a brother of Pon-watch-ee, the chief of the
Noot-choo band, whose village we surprised before we discovered the
valley, as chief of scouts. He was accompanied by several young warriors,
selected because they were all familiar with the Sierra Nevada trails and
the territory of the Pai-utes, where it was thought probable the
expedition would penetrate.

Captain Boling had in his report to Major Savage, complained of the
incapacity of Sandino as guide, and expressed the opinion that he stood in
awe of Ten-ie-ya. By letter, the Major replied, and particularly advised
Captain Boling that implicit confidence could be placed in Cow-chitty and
his scouts, as the sub-chief was an old enemy of Ten-ie-ya, and was
esteemed for his sagacity and wood-craft, which was superior to that of
any Indian in his tribe. Captain Boling had improved in health and
strength, and concluded to venture on his contemplated expedition over the
mountains. He at once ordered preparations to be made. A camp-guard was
detailed, and a special supply train fitted out. All was ready for a start
in the morning. During the evening Captain Boling consulted our new guide [Cow’chitty]
as to what trail would be best to follow to the Mono pass and over the
mountains. Cow-chitty had already learned from our Po-ho-no scouts and
those of his own tribe, the extent of our explorations, and had had a long
talk with Sandino as well as with Ten-ie-ya. The mission Indian and the
old chief tried to make the new guide believe that the Yosemites had gone
over the mountains to the Monos. Indian-like, he had remained very grave
and taciturn, while the preparations were going on for the expedition.
Now, however, that he was consulted by Captain Boling, he was willing
enough to give his advice, and in a very emphatic manner declared his
belief to the Captain that Ten-ie-ya's people were not far off; that they
were either hiding in some of

Page 224

the rocky canyons in the vicinity of the valley, or in those of the
Tuolumne.

page 231

They had been anxious to embroil us in trouble by drawing us into the
canyons of the Tuolumne [Hetch Hetchy], where were some Pai-utes wintering in a valley
like Ah-wah-ne.

and

Page 219

"Though seemingly unimpressed by their sublime surroundings, their figures
and comparisons, when not objectionable, were beautiful, because natural.
The Pai-ute and Mono Colony originally established by Ten-ie-ya, was the
result of a desire to improve their physical condition. They were attached
to this valley as a home. The instinctive attraction that an Indian has
for his place of nativity is incomprehensible; it is more than a religious
sentiment; it is a passion.

and:

PAGE 272

"Old Ten-ie-ya, and his band, were never recipients of friendly favors from
Savage, nor was he in very good standing with the agent. This was known to
the other chiefs, and they...

Page 273

frequently taunted him with his downfall. The old chief chafed under the
contemptuous treatment of those who had once feared him and applied to the
sub-agent or farmer for permission to go back to his mountain home."

Bunnell's book also says that Chief Tenaya and his band spoke a Paiute jargon. That many of his band came from Nevada. There is no such thing as Nevada Miwoks only Nevada Paiutes.

Also here is a little history since you appear to be clueless about early Yosemite Native American History. Cow'chitty (Kau'tcitti) and Vow-chester (Chief Bautista), and the Nutchus are the Miwoks...WHO WERE ENEMIES OF CHIEF TENAYA AND THE AHWAHNEE INDIANS.

They are the ancestors and chiefs of many of the modern day Southern Sierra Miwuks. The same chiefs who hunted down Tenaya, taunted him and once feared him.

Before you speak, you should back it up with proof.

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