Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Part 02 : THE LEGEND OF TIS-SA-ACK Tis-sa-ack, who lived in a far away country, journeyed with her husband to the Valley of Ah-wah-nee. They had crossed the high mountains, carrying heavy burdens, and were footsore and weary from their long journey. They, were also very thirsty and were hurrying to reach...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 09 : FISH The streams were rich in fish. Several methods were employed in their capture. One of these was to construct a trap such as is sometimes employed by white men today. This was done by building wing dams diagonally down toward the middle of the stream until the two ends almost met, and placing...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. The Gateway : THE GATEWAY The varying emotions with which mere man greets his first view of Yosemite Valley, like human nature itself, run the scale from flippancy to tears of awe and reverence. Any attempt to describe the unutterable grandeur and sublimity of the scene unrolled before him only serves...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Clouds Rest : CLOUDS REST Clouds Rest, the grim, helmeted Captain of the immediate Sierra, sloping gradually from its base at the bed of Te-na-ya Creek, to its summit six thousand feet above the floor of the Valley, is one of the most majestic of all the beautiful peaks of the region. From its lofty summit one's...
Chapter Iii. Sunset In The Yosemite. Chapter : p. 54 "Photo H. C. Tibbitts"> NEVADA FALLS "Photo H. C. Tibbitts" CHAPTER III SUNSET IN THE YOSEMITE THERE are times, and they do not come often, when the cup of our life is full to the brim, and one added drop would be too much; when the heart swings to the deepest throb, when speech is forgotten...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 04 : SWEAT-HOUSES The sweat-houses, which were to be found in every village, were similar in construction to the o-churn except that the top was rounded and the entire structure coated p. 106 thickly with mud. A small opening was left at the bottom as an entrance and another in the top for the egress...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Legend. Part 02 : LEGEND OF THE ORIGIN OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING Once upon a time a mother deer took her two fawns to visit an old mother bear and her cub. While they were there the two mothers went out to pick berries and the old bear killed the mother deer. When she returned to her home the two fawns missed their...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Part 06 : THE LEGEND OF LOI-YA Uncounted flowers have blossomed and faded, and unnumbered snows have come and gone since Loi-ya, a beautiful maiden of the Ah-wah-nee-chees, and her mother were gathering grass seeds in the Po-ho-no meadow beyond the top of the Valley. They had filled their baskets and were...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 13 : ACORNS The acorn from the black oak, which grows in profusion on the Valley floor, became the Indian's "staff of life," was to him what bread is to the white man. From it they made mush and bread. The preparation of this mush or bread was a tedious process, requiring for its completion some twelve...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 12 : GRASSHOPPERS Grasshoppers were a favorite food of the Indian, being regarded as a delicacy. To catch them a trench was dug across the center of a meadow and a fire built in the trench into which rocks were thrown. After the fire had burned to glowing embers the Indians formed in line on each side...
Introductory Note : p. 11 INTRODUCTORY NOTE It is the purpose of this little volume to create and foster in the Yosemite visitor an interest in that fast dying race the Western Indian; in his mode of life, his customs, his religious beliefs and legends, in the days before the coming of the white man sounded the death...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Glacier Point : GLACIER POINT Glacier Point has been described by thousands as one of the paramount scenic points of the Valley. And, it is true that from here, nearly thirty-three hundred feet p. 40 above the floor of the Valley, an unsurpassed view of the Valley and the surrounding country can be had. Words...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Mirror Lake : MIRROR LAKE Mirror Lake, lying at the base of Half Dome and in the mouth of Te-na-ya Canyon, is one of the real show p. 51 places of the Valley. A trip there is one of the most satisfying and wholly delightful of the entire itinerary of Yosemite. To see the lake at its best, when the reflections...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 08 : p. 102 DEER The deer, great herds of which roamed the forests of the Valley region, were an important item in the food supply. These were hunted by the braves and killed with the bow and arrow. After the thorough cleansing in the sweat-house, which was intended to free the hunter of all bodily...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 02 : BASKETS Basket weaving was the chief occupation of the squaws during the time not devoted to the collection and preparation of food, or other household duties. Baskets were made in many forms and sizes to suit the purpose for which they were intended. The principal woods used in the weaving...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. The Three : THE THREE BROTHERS Facing the Cathedral Spires across the Valley are The Three Brothers, so called, it is said, from the fact that on the second expedition of the Mariposa Battalion into the Valley in 1851, a party of Indian scouts were captured near the base of this mountain, three of whom turned...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Half Dome : HALF DOME One's first sight of Half Dome calls to mind those expressive lines of Doubleday's, "How massively doth awful nature pile The living rock." Keeping watch over the rear of the Valley, even as El Capitan guards The Gateway, the ponderous immobility of this monster of granite inspires...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Cathedral Rocks : CATHEDRAL ROCKS Above the Bridal Veil Fall towers Cathedral Rocks, one of the salient points of this end of the Valley, holding for the real cliff lover a personality and attractiveness all their own, though dwarfed by their proximity to the overshadowing hulk of El Capitan.
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Part 04 : THE LEGEND OF TU-TOK-A-NU-LA AND TIS-SA-ACK Unnumbered snows have come and gone since The Great Spirit led a band of his favorite children into the mountains, and bade them rest in this beautiful Valley of Ah-wah-nee. They were weary and footsore, and were glad to rest after their long journey...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 06 : DWELLINGS It is but natural to suppose that the natives of the forests, surrounded as they were by naught but nature herself, unaided by, and untutored in, the mechanical and other arts of civilized man, knew no other and exercised no other guide in the construction of their places of abode th...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 10 : BERRIES AND NUTS Many varieties of edible berries were to be found in the Valley. From the berries of the manzanita, which grow in abundance on the Valley floor, a cider was made. These berries were also dried for winter use, as were blackberries, raspberries, or thimbleberries, strawberries, which...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. North : NORTH DOME AND BASKET DOME Facing Half Dome across Te-na-ya Canyon stands North Dome, called by the Indians, because of its resemblance to an upturned water basket, To-ko-ya, or "water basket." In the formation of North Dome and its neighbor, Basket Dome, the observant may read the record left by...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 14 : p. 95 "Photo H. C. Tibbitts"> THE HIGH SIERRA "Photo H. C. Tibbitts" CHAPTER VII THE COMING OF THE INDIAN TO YOSEMITE The Great Spirit gathered a band of his favorite children and led them into the mountains on a long and wearisome journey until they reached the Valley now known as Yosemite. Here...
Chapter Iv. Big Trees Of The Mariposa Grove : p. 65 INTRODUCTION TO MYTHS AND LEGENDS COUNTLESS ages back, lost in the seas of antiquity, thousands of years before the Christian Era, the Indian people began--no one knows how. Did they spring from the soil, or migrate, by some aimless wandering, across the Bering Strait from ancient Mongoli...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Part 08 : THE LEGEND OF YO-SEM-I-TE Many summers and winters have come and gone since there lived in the Valley of Ah-wah-nee a large and powerful people, the Ah-wah-nee-chees. Long had they dwelt there in peace and plenty, but one sad year The Great Spirit became angry with them. There was famine...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 11 : THE PRESENT DAY INDIAN IN YOSEMITE The tourist who visits the Indian camp in Yosemite expecting to find a village patterned after those of long ago is doomed to disappointment. The encroaching civilization of the white man has pushed all of that into the background, or entirely into the discard...
Chapter X. Geology Of The Yosemite Valley : p. 133 CHAPTER X GEOLOGY OF THE YOSEMITE VALLEY IT is known that since the beginning of time the surface of the earth has undergone various changes brought about by its cooling and shrinking and by internal eruptions and disturbances. During one of these disturbances the region between the Pacific...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 03 : MEDICINE MEN The profession of medicine man was a popular one among the Indians and every tribe had one or more of these fakers. In most cases their knowledge of even the rudest forms of medical science was very limited, although they did sometimes effect simple cures. They nearly always combined...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 07 : COMMUNICATIONS The Indian was familiar with and practiced a rude method of telegraphy which consisted of smoke or fire signals flashed from one mountain top to another. In this manner they could readily communicate with each other and could spread important news over a large territory...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Sentinel Rock : SENTINEL ROCK A short distance further up the Valley and on the opposite side stands Sentinel Rock, the dominating landmark of the southern rim of the Valley, named by the Indians Loi-ya, or "water basket." Towering three thousand feet above the floor of the Valley, this magnificent column...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Yosemite Fall : YOSEMITE FALL Opposite The Sentinel Rock, at a point nearly twenty-six hundred feet above the Valley floor, Yosemite Creek pours its waters over the cliff in the world's highest and most beautiful waterfall. Leaping the brow of the cliff in a majestic torrent, surrounded by eddying mists...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 13 : CHILDREN The life of the Indian wife was one of menial labor and childbearing. The latter, however, fell lightly on the mothers of the tribe. The time for delivery arriving, she sought some quiet place by the side of a stream, sometimes accompanied by a female friend, but most frequently alone...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Ribbon Fall : RIBBON FALL Looking across to the left toward the top of the mountain a gleaming silvery thread of lace-like drapery can be seen, pouring over the cliffs at an elevation of thirty-three hundred feet above the road. This is Ribbon Fall, named by the Indians Lung-oo-too-koo-yah, or "the graceful...
Chapter I. The Coming Of The White M : p. 13 ROYAL ARCHES AND NORTH DOME CHAPTER I THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN TO YOSEMITE HERE in the valley of Yosemite there dwelt in peace and plenty the people of Te-na-ya. They went about their quiet lives happy and contented. They were never visited except by members of some neighboring tribes...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs : WIDOWS Upon the death of a husband the widow had her hair all cut off. This was burned with her husband's body that he might have it with him in El-o-win as a reminder of her. Thus short hair became known as the badge of widowhood. After the body was burned its ashes were mixed with the ros...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 09 : DIVISION OF TERRITORY They had well defined limits of territory, or boundaries, which had been agreed upon in council by the chiefs and headmen of the different tribes, and beyond which no Indian dared go except as a visitor or trader. These boundaries, however, did not extend into the high Sierr...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. The Valley : THE VALLEY Once inside the Valley, enclosed by its mighty, temple-walls, when its heaven-reaching cliffs have thrown their mile long shadows over us, when the marvelous combination of beauty and grandeur, of noble cliff and waving flower, of leaping waterfall and tinkling brook, of magnificent tree...
Chapter Vi. Creation. Chapter Vi. Creation : p. 90 BRIDAL VEIL (OR POHONO) FALL p. 91 "Photo H. C. Tibbitts"> VERNAL FALLS (PI-WY-ACK) "Photo H. C. Tibbitts" CHAPTER VI CREATION IT WAS the belief of the Indian that in the beginning the Coyote-man made the world. Then taking the Frog-man with him he set out on a raft into the east. When they...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Happy Isles : HAPPY ISLES Here is Yosemite's favorite picnic ground. Situated in the far eastern end of the Valley, at the mouth of Merced Canyon, within easy walking distance of hotels and camps, and on the Valley auto road, this is a favorite haunt of those for whom the mountain trails are too strenuous...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. El Capitan : EL CAPITAN Across The Gateway, facing Bridal Veil Fall, stands El Capitan, called by the Indians, Tu-tok-a-nu-la, or "rock chief." To apply human standards of measurement to this monarch of mountains is sacrilege. To attempt by mere words and figures to convey some idea of its stupendous p. 34...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 05 : DANCES Dances were all symbolical in character, of more or less religious significance, and were never indulged in simply for pleasure. Both men and women took part in all of them, the women standing around shuffling their p. 114 "Photo--H. C. Tibbitts"> FROM ARTIST'S POINT "Photo--H. C. Tibbitts"...
Chapter Iv. Big Trees Of The Mariposa Grove. Part 02 : p. 57 "Photo J. T. Boysen"> THE WAWONA TREE AND GALEN CLARK, DISCOVERER "Photo J. T. Boysen" CHAPTER IV BIG TREES OF THE MARIPOSA GROVE Mightiest of the conifers, stately pillars of the Almighty--living things as you and I. Of the twenty-six groves of the Giant Sequoias which inhabit the western...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 08 : COMMERCE They carried on a well organized system of commerce in which they exchanged articles with other tribes. In this manner they obtained from the Mo-nos around Mo-no Lake obsidian for use in making arrowheads, p. 112 salt for domestic use, the larvae of beetles which were considered a gre...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. The Story : p. 30 LIBERTY CAP CHAPTER II. THE STORY OF YOSEMITE It is not generally known that the Yosemite Valley is a very small part of the Yosemite National Park. Nearly all visitors to Yosemite are surprised to learn that the Park embraces over eleven hundred square miles of territory. To those who are...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Legend : LEGEND OF THE FISH-WOMEN (MERMAIDS) Long ago when the Ah-wah-nee-chees were a young nation the Merced River was the home of the Fish-women (Mermaids). These were beautiful creatures, having the tails of fish and the upper bodies of women. They could not leave the water, but would often sit...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 12 : p. 122 DISPOSAL OF THEIR DEAD Upon the death of an Indian his body was turned over to a few members of the tribe who had been chosen by his relatives to perform the burial rites. The body was sewn in skins and, after a suitable pile of dry wood had been collected, the body with all his earthly...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Bridal : BRIDAL VEIL FALL On the right the eye is drawn, as by a magnet, to Bridal Veil Fall, pouring over and down the mighty cliff from its elevated canyon bed six hundred and twenty feet above, to be torn and dashed into silvery spray on the rocks below. Famed in song and story the world over, this fall...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 04 : HAND GAME The hand game seems to have been the Indians' favorite amusement, and the annual feast was always the occasion of one of these tests of skill. Four bones about four inches long fashioned from the shank of the deer were used. Two of these were wrapped about the center with black fern root...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends : THE LEGEND OF PO-HO-NO Many snows have come and gone since an old squaw and a maiden of Ah-wah-nee were picking berries along the stream above Po-ho-no (Bridal Veil Fall). The maiden, looking down the stream to the brink of the fall, was attracted by the mists whirling high into the air. Charmed by...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi : WEAPONS The bow, which was the principal weapon used by the Indian, and which was used both in hunting and in warfare, was made of cedar or oak, usually about three feet in length, two inches wide in the center and tapering to the ends, rounded on the inside and covered with the sinews of the deer...
Title Page : THE LORE AND THE LURE OF THE YOSEMITE THE INDIANS, THEIR CUSTOMS, LEGENDS AND BELIEFS, AND THE STORY OF YOSEMITE BY HERBERT EARL WILSON San Francisco, Calif., A. M. Robertson [1922] Scanned , November, 2003. J. B. Hare, Redactor. This Text Is In The Public Domain. These Files May Be Used For Any...
Chapter Ii. The Story Of Yosemite. Cathedral : CATHEDRAL SPIRES Next to Cathedral Rocks is one of the most striking rock formations in the Valley, Cathedral Spires, called by the Indians Pu-see-na Chuck-ah, or "mouse-proof storehouse." The double pinnacled towers are a real architectural structure; two monoliths of granite climbing nearly...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 10 : p. 110 CHAPTER VIII HIS CUSTOMS, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AND CEREMONIES The Yo-sem-i-tes, as is true of nearly all Indian tribes, were of an intensely religious temperament. They seem to have had a fairly well defined idea of a Deity, known as The Great Spirit, who looked after their welfare, rewarding...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 06 : ANNUAL FEASTS Each year, usually during the fall months, a great feast was held in the Valley in which all of the neighboring p. 113 tribes took part. When the time for this feast approached a runner was sent out to the other tribes bearing an invitation to participate. This runner carried with him...
Chapter Viii. His Customs, Religious Beliefs. Part 02 : p. 119 MARRIAGE Springtime, or when the flowers were blooming in the mountains, was the Indian's time for wooing. Polygamy was common among them, a man being allowed to take as many wives as he chose, or could pay for. This privilege, however, did not extend to the woman. Young women were regarded...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 07 : SMALL GAME, MUSHROOMS, WORMS, AND BEETLES Small game, such as rabbits, squirrels, and birds, were killed for food, as well as for their hides and feathers, which were used in the making of arrows, bedding and clothing, and ornaments. Mushrooms and the fungus of the oak were also eaten, as were...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Part 05 : p. 68 CHAPTER V INDIAN MYTHS AND LEGENDS THE LEGEND OF TU-TOK-A-NA MANY, many moons ago, two little bear cubs slipped away from their mother and went swimming in the river that winds its way through the Valley of Ahwah-nee. When they had finished their swim they lay down on a rock to dry...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 03 : CLOTHING The Indian being constantly exposed to the elements needed very little clothing. It consisted, in the case of the man, of a breech-cloth made of skins which was worn about the loins. For the woman it took the form of a skirt which reached from the waist to the knee. These skirts were...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 11 : CLOVER GRASSES, GRASS SEEDS, AND EDIBLE ROOTS Green clover and grasses were eaten raw; the Indian simply grazing on the meadows as would a horse. Dried p. 100 grass seeds were gathered by shaking them from their stems into baskets and made into mush or soup. The bulbous root of the brodi...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Part 07 : p. 83 THE LEGEND OF PI-WY-ACK Each year when the leaves turned to red and gold and were falling from the trees to be picked up and whirled about by the winds of Ah-wah-nee, a great feast was held in the Valley, to which came the neighboring tribes. As the time for this feast drew near the chief...
Chapter Vii. The Coming Of The Indi. Part 05 : BEDDING Their underbedding was usually made from the skins of the larger animals such as the deer and bear. Their coverings were robes made from the skins of the smaller fur bearing animals. These were made by cutting the fur into narrow strips, which were loosely twisted so as to bring the fur...
Chapter Ix. Retrospection And Prophecy. Chapter : p. 126 "Photo A. C. Pillsbury"> THE MERCED RIVER AT HAPPY ISLES. "Photo A. C. Pillsbury" p. 127 CHAPTER IX. RETROSPECTION AND PROPHECY THE verdict of every student of the race is that contact with the white man; the adoption of his cabin life and manner of living, his food and clothing, resulted...
Chapter V. Indian Myths And Legends. Part 03 : THE LEGEND OF THE LOST ARROW Kos-su-kah, a young chief of the Ah-wah-nee-chees, smiled upon a maiden, Tee-hee-nay. Kos-su-kah was tall and strong and brave. Among all the sons of Ah-wah-nee p. 74 there was none so keen of sight, so swift of foot, or so skilled in the use of the bow and the arts...