Chief Tenaya, d. 1853

Tenaya was born on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Mono Lake. He descended from a Miwok tribe that had inhabited what is now called Yosemite Valley for at least 600 years, but was forced to live among the Paiutes when the diseases that were brought by the Spanish swept through the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the early 1800s. Tenaya had heard stories of his tribe's former homeland and traveled to see the fabled valley when he reached adulthood. He arrived to find that the valley was free of disease. After returning to Mono Lake he gathered approximately 200 members of his tribe in order to resettle in the valley (Brown 2009, 233). They called themselves the Ahwahneechee. Others called them the Yosemite.

During the California Gold Rush an increasing number of miners and merchants began to settle in the foothills and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Life became difficult for the tribes as they lost access to their hunting grounds and were forced to compete with the miners for food. Many of the Ahwahneechee began raiding the mining camps to steal food, cattle, and supplies (Jones and Lubow 2010, 6). In January of 1851 the Mariposa Battalion was assembled by Governor John McDougall in order to force the tribe onto the Fresno reservation. James Savage was chosen as the battalion's leader and was given the rank of Major (Jones and Lubow 2010, 7). Savage spoke several Miwok languages and ran a trading outpost on the Merced River.

Tenaya Lake, 1907. Source: United States Geological Survey, [ggk03106], photo by G. K. Gilbert.

In March the Mariposa Battalion met with Chief Tenaya somewhere near Wawona. Major Savage informed Chief Tenaya of the government's plans to relocate the tribe. Chief Tenaya initially resisted, but eventually consented to the plan when Major Savage told him that further disputes would ultimately lead to the destruction of his tribe (Muir 1912, 228). Three days past with no sign that the Ahwahneechee had planned on leaving and Major Savage decided to force them out.

The Mariposa Battalion arrived at the southern entrance to the valley and were only able to locate a group of 72 Indians, which included Chief Tenaya, tribal elders, and children. The battalion believed that more than 100 of the Ahwahneechee had gone into hiding (Muir 1912, 228). In their pursuit of the remaining Indians, the battalion became the first group of white men to step foot in Yosemite Valley. The men were awestruck by the natural beauty. The battalion was unable to locate the Indians and most of the 72 that they had captured quickly escaped. The Mariposa Battalion set fire to the Ahwahneechee settlement and left the valley.

Tenaya Lake, 1907. Source: United States Geological Survey, [ggk03108], photo by G. K. Gilbert.

In May of 1851 a second expedition, led by Captain John Boling, was sent to Yosemite Valley to remove the Ahwahneechee. Captain Boling and his men captured five Indians, including three of Chief Tenaya's sons, and held them hostage. Chief Tenaya's youngest son was killed as he attempted to escape (Secrest 2003, 106). When Chief Tenaya arrived to meet with Captain Boling he saw his son's body and surrendered. He led the soldiers to what is now called Tenaya Lake, where the Ahwahneechee had made camp. The exhausted and starved Indians did not put up a fight and were taken to the Fresno reservation in California's Central Valley.

Less than a year after his stay at the Fresno reservation, Chief Tenaya negotiated his tribe's return to Yosemite Valley. He promised that his tribe would not create any troubles for the American settlers (Jones and Lubow 2010, 8). Despite this promise, two miners were killed near Bridalveil Fall in May of 1852 by a group of Ahwahneechee men. The U.S. Army responded to the incident and pursued the tribe high into the mountains. Five of the Indians were killed and the rest escaped. The defeated chief returned to Mono Lake, where he had been raised. In 1853 a dispute occurred between Chief Tenaya and the Paiutes. Chief Tenaya and several of the Ahwahneechee were killed (Brown 2009, 236). The Ahwahneechee then dispersed to live amongst the Paiutes and Miwoks. A small group of the Ahwahneechee returned to Yosemite Valley, however, their way of life had been altered forever.

References

Brown, Ann Marie. Yosemite. Berkeley, CA: Avalon Travel, 2009.

Jones, Ray and Joe Lubow. It Happened in Yosemite National Park: Remarkable Events That Shaped History. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 2010.

Muir, John. The Yosemite. New York, NY: The Century Co., 1912.

Secrest, William B. When the Great Spirit Died: The Destruction of the California Indians, 1850-1860. Sanger, CA: Quill Driver Books, 2003.