Tenaya facts for kids
Tenaya (died 1853) was an important leader of the Ahwahnechee people in Yosemite Valley, California.
Tenaya's Early Life
Tenaya's father was also a leader of the Ahwahneechee people. The Ahwahneechee were a special group of people living in the Yosemite area.
Tenaya was born among the Mono tribe. His father had married a Mono Paiute woman. So, Tenaya grew up with his mother's people.
The Ahwahneechee lived in Yosemite Valley for a long time. But a serious sickness caused many of them to die. The few Ahwahneechee who survived left Yosemite Valley. They went to live with the Mono Lake Paiutes in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains.
Becoming a Leader
Later, a wise Ahwahneechee medicine man, who was a friend of Tenaya's father, convinced young Tenaya to return to Yosemite. Tenaya gathered the remaining Ahwahneechee people who were living with the Monos and Paiutes. He led them back to Yosemite Valley and became their new leader.
The Ahwahneechee people were respected by the nearby Miwok tribes.
Around 1851, there were more and more disagreements between the miners who were not Native American and the Native Americans in the Sierra mountains. The state of California decided to move Native Americans to special areas called reservations.
The Mariposa Battalion was created to help with this move. They marched Tenaya and his people toward the Fresno Reservation. However, many people from Tenaya's group chose to leave Yosemite Valley instead of going with him. As they got closer to the Fresno reservation, some of them ran away and went back to Yosemite Valley.
The Mariposa Battalion then went back into the Valley. They captured Tenaya's sons, and sadly, his youngest son was killed. After this, Tenaya agreed to return to the reservation.
Tenaya's Death
By the summer of 1851, Tenaya was tired of living on the reservation. He promised that he would not bother any non-Native American people.
However, in 1852, a group of prospectors were killed in Yosemite Valley. Tenaya and his group left to join the Mono Paiutes. He returned to the Valley in 1853.
Tenaya was killed in a fight with the Mono Paiutes. The fight happened because of stolen horses. The few survivors from Tenaya's group were taken back to Mono Lake. They became part of the Mono Lake Paiute community.
Another story says that in 1852, some prospectors entered the Valley. One of them caused trouble, leading to a fight. Later, in 1853, Tenaya and some of his men were playing a game with some Mono Indians. The game became very intense, and a fight broke out. Tenaya and several others from his group were killed. Their bodies were cremated, which was their custom. After their leader died, the few remaining members of his group spread out between Mono Lake and the areas to the west.
Tenaya's Legacy
Many places are named after Tenaya. Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park is named for him. There are also schools named after him, like Tenaya Middle Schools in Fresno, California and Merced, California. An elementary school in Groveland, California is also named after Chief Tenaya.
