Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3397057 in Books
• Published on: 1977-11
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 36 pages

Customer Reviews

Yosemite Native American - Yosemite Indian book changed for the worst.
There was an older book that was done and it not biased. This book had been "revised" by an employee of the Yosemite National Park who was married to a Central Miwok woman. The cover was changed. The older booklet had a photo of Maggie "Taboose" Howard who worked tirelessly to preserve the culture of the Yosemite and Mono Lake Paiute people. She was removed in the new revision with a line drawing of a CENTRAL Miwok. Some of the text has been revised to change history of the Yosemite Indians. The actual Indians of Yosemite were Paiutes. Lafayette Bunnell, who met Chief Tenaya, wrote "CHIEF TENAYA WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE PAIUTE COLONY OF AHWAHNEE" and that "CHIEF TENAYA SPOKE A PAIUTE JARGON". CHIEF TENAYA WAS BORN AND RAISED AT MONO LAKE. HE MARRIED A PAIUTE WOMAN AND HIS MOTHER WAS PAIUTE. That the Mono Paiutes considered Chief Tenaya one of their own and that the Ahwahneechees were made up PRIMARILY OF MONO PAIUTES with a FEW "UNKNOWN" OUTLAWS/OUTCASTS FROM THE WESTERN TRIBES. That the Ahwahneechees were taller and lighter then the "Diggers" of the Western tribes (Miwuks). When the Battalion found the Yosemite Indians abandoned camp site, because they fled before the Battalion caught them, they found Pine Nuts (which only grew in the Paiute area), Mono Lake Brine Fly Larva (found only at Mono Lake), Paiute water baskets, a small drum (Miwuks used clappers sticks), Pandora Moth larvae (Which is only found in Mono Paiute areas), Obsidian (Which only came from Paiute areas) and other items. In other words PAIUTE ITEMS...NO MIWOK STUFF. During that time Paiutes and Miwuks had several battles over resource territories like Hetch Hetchy, Stoddard Springs, and other areas. THEY DID NOT TRADE until years later. So that is falsely written to explain WHY PAIUTE ITEMS WERE FOUND IN "SUPPOSED" MIWOK AREAS. So this book is NOT CORRECT and worse it has been revised to make it more incorrect. PEOPLE SHOULD READ LAFAYETTE BUNNELL'S BOOK AND THERE ARE SEVERAL MENTIONINGS OF MONO PAIUTES BEING PART OF CHIEF TENAYA'S BAND AND THE INDIANS IN YOSEMITE BEFORE AND EVEN AFTER TENAYA'S DEATH...YET NOT ONE MENTION OF MIWUKS OR MEWOOS.

Brief and interesting
This small booklet (36 pages) has been revised at least three times since its original publication in 1941. Godfrey does a decent job of giving a brief overview of the history of the Yosemite (Ahwahneechee)Indians, especially around the interaction of Chief Tenaya and the events that led to the submission of his people to life on a reservation. The various chapters on food, shelter, dress, basketry, customs, and legends are all informative and interesting. The photos (black and white) are good. This brief and informative booklet will serve as a great introduction to the Yosemite Indians.