Yosemite Native American Indian life before 1900 in photographs, taken by Eadweard Muybridge
NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LIFE IN YOSEMITE VALLEY.
Before the non-Indians entered California, Native Americans lived in their traditional manner. Camping in Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy and along the mountains of the high Sierra Nevada.
Dr. Lafayette H. Bunnell, one of the only men to meet Chief Tenaya of Ahwahnee, wrote that Tenaya was the founder of the Paiute Colony of Ahwahnee and spoke Paiute. Tenaya was one of our people and was born and raised at Mono Lake, he later established, what Bunnell wrote, as the Paiute Colony of Ahwahnee. We Mono Paiutes bragged about his war exploits against the Indians of the western slope. You can read about his life in Dr. Lafayette H. Bunnell's Discovery of the Yosemite, which was put on PDF file for easy and quick reading:
http://www.esnips.com/web/YosemiteIndiansWebResearch
Around 1870 Eaweard Muybridge, the noted British photographer, took a trip to Yosemite Valley and photographed a Paiute Indian camp. In a 1911 Sunset Magazine, the writer of the article wrote that Paiutes made up the majority of the Indians residing in Yosemite. It must have been a great sight. Here is what Native American Indian life in the earliest pioneer days of Yosemite must have looked like. The photos are numbered sequencially as the early picture taker must have seen a Paiute village and camp in Yosemite Valley.
Paiutes camped in the Sierras.
Below are some of the earliest photos of Paiutes camping in Yosemite around 1870, by Eaweard Muybridge, the famous photographer.
Here are the photos in sequence, so you can see the progression. Remember Eadweard Muybridge also did those great photos in motion of nude people running and animals in motion.
photo no. 1571; Here Muybridge can see the Indian encampment along the Merced in the distance as he approaches. I can't tell if he is on a boat, on the other side of the river or on an embankment.
photo no. 1572; Here Muybridge is getting closer to the Indian encampment along the banks of the Merced. You can see the granite rocks in the back.
photo no. 1573; Muybridge is now on the beach and shoting the village. You can see a camp fire in the close distance.
photo no. 1574; Titled "Piute Chief's Lodge". Here Muybridge goes to the "Piute Chief's Lodge" and photographs the interior of the Paiute chief's lodge. He probably went up to the headman first to ask if he could take photos or try to converse with him. That last sentence is just a guess, but it is probable since that is the first photo up close.
photo no. 1575; Muybridge takes photo of a meeting of ceremonial significance. Someone is talking. In Paiute we had people we called "Talkers" who told of the traditions and history of ceremonies since we had no written language.
photo no. 1576; Muybridge walks over and shots a small group or family sitting in their own corner of the camp. In the back you can see another small family grouping. They have their Wonos in front and other baskets. A Wono is Paiute for Burden basket.
photo no. 1577; Muybridge takes a photo of men sitting on a log. They are wearing hats and other western style clothing. It was titled "Piute Bucks on a log".
photo no. 1578; I don't have this one.
photo no. 1579; Muybridge takes photos of young teen males swimming in the Merced. Trying to keep cool in the summer. The title indicates that it is summer time and is called "A Summer Day's Sport". Paiute kids are trying to keep cool as the older people meet.
photo no. 1580; Muybridge takes photo of an "Octenigarian" and a young boy. The face of the woman is blurred. They have a simple camp.
photo no. 1581; Muybridge then photographs a "Medicine Man Sleeping" below. His house was created with boards leaning against a tree to make a shelter. His Wono (burden basket) lays next to him.
photo no. 1582; Muybridge then goes to photograph women leaching acorns and making bread. One is stirring her basket.
photo no. 1853; I don't have this one.
photo no. 1854; Five marriage age girls. One on the farthest left wears an early style Paiute beaded collar. The others have headbands.
photo no. 1855; Muybridge than takes his camera to the outer edge of the camp where there is a Paiute sweatlodge with someone in it. Paiutes would sweat than jump into the river to cleanse themselves.
photo no. 1856; At the same camp is the famous German born painter Albert Bierstadt who is working on one of his paintings or drawings. Paiute children are to his right watching him, like kids do. Meanwhile the ceremony continues in the background. The group in the back looks like they are performing a Paiute round dance off to the side as the marriage age girls sit in the foreground.
photo no. 1857; Muybridge photographs Albert Bierstadt painting a an Indian man in front of the Paiute chief's lodge as other Indian men watch Bierstadt paint from behind. The man in front of the chief's lodge looks like Captain John, the leader of the Yosemite - Mono Lake Paiutes. The man who one of my elders said threw the rock that killed Chief Tenaya.
Thank you for going with me on journery to early Yosemite Paiute Indian life.
Some of the earliest photographs of Yosemite Native Americans.
*These photos were numerically sequenced to show Eadweard Muybridge's journeys into Yosemite Valley.
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