Chief Tenaya (?-1853) was a Native American chief in the Yosemite Valley people in California. Tenaya's father was the chief of the Ahwahneechee[1], which means "people of the Ahwahnee" (Yosemite Valley). The Ahwahneechees were a totally different tribe then any other surrounding tribes. Lafayette Bunnell, the doctor of the Mariposa Battalion, wrote that "Ten-ie-ya was recognized, by the Mono tribe, as one of their number, as he was born and lived among them until his ambition made him a leader and founder of the Pai-Ute colony in Ah-wah-ne."[2] 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the distance. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles [[List of Governors of California|Governor]] Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ...

The Ahwahneechee occupied Yosemite Valley until a sickness destroyed most of them. The few Ahwahneechee left Yosemite Valley and joined the Mono Lake Paiutes in the eastern Sierra Nevada. Tenaya's father married a Mono Paiute woman and Tenaya was born from that union. Tenaya grow up amongst his mothers people and married a Mono Paiute woman and had several children. Fifty years later a medicine man advised Tenaya that it was time to return to the beautiful Yosemite Valley because the sickness was gone. Tenaya took about 200 people back into Yosemite Valley. The Ahwahneechee were a powerful tribe feared by the surrounding Miwok tribes. The surrounding tribes called them Yosemite meaning "they are killers."[3] Yosemite National Park (pron. ... Mono Lake, showing nearby Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park Mono Lake is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in California, United States that is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species and is one of the most productive ecosystems in North America. ... Paiute (sometimes written as Piute) refers to two related groups -- Northern Paiute and Southern Paiute--of Native North Americans speaking languages belonging to the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan family of Native American languages. ... The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is mostly in eastern California. ... Miwok—also spelled Miwuk or Me-Wuk—refers to native Californians who lived in what is now Northern California. ...

By 1851, conflicts between the non-indigenous miners and the Native Americans in the Sierra started to increase. The state of California decided to send the Natives to reservations. The Mariposa Brigade was formed to carry out the relocation. Chief Tenaya agreed to move to the Fresno Reservation, instead of the destruction of his entire band. Many of his band left Yosemite Valley instead of following Tenaya. As they approached the Fresno reservation, they fled back to the Yosemite Valley. The Brigade then re-entered the Valley, captured Tenaya's sons, and killed his youngest son. Tenaya then agreed to go back to the reservation. 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles [[List of Governors of California|Governor]] Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... Reservation is something reserved. ...

By the summer of 1851, Tenaya grew tired of the reservation. He gave his pledge that he would not disturb any non-indigenous people. However, in 1852, a group of prospectors were killed in the Valley. Tenaya and his band fled to join the Mono Paiutes. He returned to the Valley in 1853. He was stoned to death in a dispute with the Mono Paiutes over stolen horses. 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A prospector is a person who prospects, or explores an area for natural resources such as minerals, oil, flora or fauna. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Tenaya Lake was named after Chief Tenaya. Tenaya Lake is surrounded by granite domes and peaks. ...

External links

• History of the Yosemite area
• The Yosemite Indians
• Discovery of the Yosemite by Lafayette Bunnell contains most of what we know about Chief Tenaya
• The Last Survivor by H. J. Taylor contains an account of the last surivor of Tenaya's original tribe.
• Discussion board for modern day Yosemite Indians
• 1901 Miwok tribal area map Map of Miwok territory by noted California Anthropologist C. Hart Merriam.