The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation is marching for federal recognition on March 5 in Mariposa.
It’s essential that all communities are welcome when Hetch Hetchy Valley is restored to its natural splendor. Restore Hetch Hetchy believes that it is especially important to honor the indigenous people and their descendants who lived in Yosemite prior to the arrival of European Americans and the creation of the National Park.
There are seven “traditionally associated tribes” presently engaged with activities in Yosemite. One of these, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation is at a critical moment in its 40-year campaign to be formally acknowledged as a tribe by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. (The Mono Lake Kutzadika’a tribe is also petitioning for federal acknowledgment.)
Restore Hetch Hetchy supports federal acknowledgment for both tribes – see our letter to the Assistant Secretary of Interior regarding the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation. For more information, visit the tribe’s website.
Please take a few minutes to watch the excellent Miwuk documentary below. It includes both hard truths and good stories. You’ll also learn about some of Yosemite’s original inhabitants who, while they may no longer live inside Yosemite, “are still around”.