Ahwahneechee People

We are the Ahwahneechee, and we welcome you to our story. For thousands of years, our home has been a deep, protected valley that you might know by a different name: Yosemite. We have always called it Ahwahnee. To us, this is more than just a beautiful place of granite cliffs and towering waterfalls. It is a living landscape where our history is written and our creation stories can be seen in the world around us. Every part of Ahwahnee holds a piece of our identity. When you look upon the great stone face of El Capitan, we hope you will remember that for us, it is not just a rock formation. Along with the rivers, meadows, and mountains of our home, these landmarks are sacred storytellers, holding the ancient narratives of our people and connecting every generation to the very beginning of our world.

Our traditional way of life was woven into the rhythm of the seasons in Ahwahnee. We followed a path that honored the land and all it provided, moving between the valley floor in the cooler months and the high country when summer arrived. This seasonal journey allowed us to live in balance with our environment, gathering what we needed without taking too much. A central part of our diet came from the mighty black oak tree. Its acorns were a gift, but one that required great knowledge to receive. The acorns needed a careful and patient process of pounding, sifting, and rinsing to remove their bitterness and make them a nourishing, edible food. This was essential work, and alongside it, the women of our communities practiced an incredible skill: basket weaving. Using plants gathered from the valley and mountains, our weavers created beautiful and essential tools. These baskets were not just for decoration; they were used for gathering, cooking, and storing food, making them a vital part of our everyday lives.

A time of great and difficult change began for us with the California Gold Rush. This event brought a flood of outsiders into our lands, people who did not understand our connection to Ahwahnee and saw it only for its resources. The growing tension led to conflict, and in the year 1851, a group called the Mariposa Battalion entered our valley. They came to force us away from the home we had known for countless generations. Our chief, Tenaya, led a brave resistance against them, fighting to protect our people and our ancestral lands. Despite his efforts, we faced a painful and heartbreaking experience. We were forcibly removed from Ahwahnee, taken away from the sacred places that held our stories, our memories, and the spirits of our ancestors. It was a time of immense loss that forever altered the course of our history.

Even after such hardship, it is important for you to know that we, the Ahwahneechee, did not disappear. Our story did not end with our removal from the valley. Today, our descendants live on as part of the Southern Sierra Miwok people. We have maintained our profound connection to Yosemite, and it will always be our spiritual and ancestral home. We continue to work hard to keep our culture alive for the generations who will come after us. This work involves preserving our language, sharing our traditional stories, and practicing the skills and ceremonies that define who we are. We are still here, carrying the legacy of our ancestors and ensuring that the voice of the Ahwahneechee people will continue to be heard in our beloved Ahwahnee.