Yosemite

We hear the names of these famous places all of the time all of the time, but seldom know the history behind them. Yosemite is the name of one of the most famous National Parks in the country that features famous sites such as Half-dome, Yosemite Falls (tallest waterfall on the continent), and various other amazing sites. Anyways, has anyone ever heard of what the word Yosemite means? I grew up in California and have never heard this story. For hundreds of years, the Ahwahneechee had inhabited the Yosemite Valley (though they weren't the first indigenous to inhabit the area). When the gold rush hit California, there was obviously a huge population rush to the area. Major Jim Savage (fitting name) led the Mariposa Battalion into the valley in search of Native Americans to eliminate them from the land. Elimination included burning settlements and murdering without a cause.

One member of the battalion was particularly taken with the scenery and the people settled there, and along with a few others refused to fight. This man commented that he heard the Natives saying the word "yohhe'meti" and assumed they were referring to the name of their people. Turns out, thats what they were calling the battalion and literally means "they are killers".

The name Yosemite is our scar from a very regretful chapter in U.S. history that forever labels what we did to the Natives in Yosemite Valley.