Yosemite at a Glance:
The First People

As non-Indians settled in the Yosemite region, life continued to change drastically for the Miwok. They adopted different styles of clothing, ate different food, and became dependent on the newcomers for jobs.

Geology
Waterfalls

Recent History

Miwok men were employed as woodcutters, guides, and wranglers while women worked as housekeepers, child care providers, and, by the end of the 19th century, basketweavers.

Indian people continued to work in Yosemite through the 1900s. By the 1920s, most lived in a village near what is today the Yosemite Medical Clinic. In 1933, the National Park Service built a new Indian Village not far from Yosemite Lodge. In 1969 only one family remained; the Indian village was removed by the National Park Service.

Today, some of the descendants of the original inhabitants of Yosemite live near the park. Several hundred Indian people live in Mariposa County (just west of the park) and in Tuolumne County (north of the park). In 1997 the National Park Service signed an agreement with the American Indian Council of Mariposa County that guaranteed the native people of Yosemite access to Yosemite National Park so that they could continue the traditional activities of their ancestors.