According to statements made by Teneiya _(Ten-eye´-ya)_ [see
footnote] chief of the Yosemites, to Dr. L.H. Bunnell, and
published by him in his book on the "Discovery of the Yosemite",
the original Indian name of the Valley was Ah-wah´-nee, which
has been translated as "deep grassy valley", and the Indians
living there were called Ah-wah-nee´-chees, which signified
"dwellers in Ah-wah´-nee."
[Footnote: The Indian names are usually pronounced exactly as
spelled, with each syllable distinctly sounded, and the principal
accent on the penult, as in Ah-wah´-nee, or the antepenult, as
in Yo-sem´-i-te. Where doubt might exist, the accent will be
indicated, or the pronunciation given in parenthesis.]
[Transcriber's note: The remaining footnotes in the original text are
moved, in the present version, into the line of text and are
marked by square brackets, thus: Ah-wah´-nee [Yosemite Valley].]
Many years ago, the old chief said, the Ah-wah-nee´-chees had
been a large and powerful tribe, but by reason of wars and a
fatal black sickness, nearly all had been destroyed, and the
survivors of the band fled from the Valley and joined other
tribes.
[Illustration: _Photograph by Fiske_.
YOSEMITE FALLS (CHO´-LACK), 2,634 Feet.
Near the foot of these falls was located the village of
Ah-wah´-nee, the Indian capital and residence of Chief Teneiya.
There were eight other villages in the Valley.]
For years afterwards this locality was uninhabited, but finally
Teneiya, who claimed to be descended from an Ah-wah-nee´-chee
chief, left the Mo´nos, where he had born and brought up,
and, gathering of his father's old tribe around him, visited the
Valley and claimed it as the birthright of his people. He then
became the founder of a new tribe or band, which received the
name "Yo-sem´-i-te." This word signifies a full-grown grizzly
bear, and Teneiya said that the name had been given to his band
because they occupied the mountains and valley which were the
favorite resort of the grizzly bears, and his people were expert
in killing them; that his tribe had adopted the name because
those who had bestowed it were afraid of the grizzlies, and also
feared his band.
The Yosemites were perhaps the most warlike of any of the tribes
in this part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, who were, as a rule,
a peaceful people, dividing the territory among them, and
indulging in few controversies. In fact, these Indians in general
were less belligerent and warlike than any others on the Pacific
Coast. When difficulties arose, they were usually settled
peacefully by arbitration, in a grand council of the chiefs and
head men of the tribes involved, without resorting to open
hostilities.