The Ahwahnechee, Awani, or Awalache were an Indigenous people of California who historically lived in the Yosemite Valley.

[2] The anglicizations of their name from the 19th century have included Ahwahnechee (by Hittell in 1868), Awalache (by Johnston in 1851), Awallache (by McKee in 1851), and Awanee (by Powers in 1874).

[8] The state militia with Savage as their major and the Indian Commissioners from Washington were called out to either convince or force the Native people to sign treaties.

When the soldiers, led by Savage, moved towards their camp to force them out, their chief, Teneiya, finally appeared alone and attempted to conceal the location and number of his people.

With the recapture of Chief Teneiya the rest of the band was easily found and brought to the Fresno reservation in the foothills where they stayed long enough to regain their strength and petitioned for their freedom to return to their mountain home.

[9] In 1852, a Mariposa expedition of US federal troops heard a report that Ahwahnechee Indians killed two European-American miners at Bridalveil Meadows.

Then they were ground up in small holes atop big granite slabs known as grinding rocks, like a mortar and pestle.

Once they had been sufficiently ground down to a fine powder, the acorn flour was put into a shallow depression at the edge of the river.

Rocks were heated in a fire and placed in the basket to cook the mixture, which was then consumed either as a mush or baked into a flatbread.

[14] National Park Service naturalist, Will Neely created a list of the plants commonly used by the Ahwahnechee.

Greens eaten by the Ahwahnechee included broad-leaved lupine, common monkey flower, nude buckwheat, California thistle, miner's lettuce, sorrel, clover, umbrella plant, crimson columbine, and alum root.

Strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, thimbleberry, wild grape, gooseberry, currant, blue elderberry, western choke cherry, Sierra plum, and greenleaf manzanita provided berries and fruits.

These small homes were built with pine for the framing and supports, using the wood in a tipi-like structure with a diameter of about 12 feet.

To insulate their homes, they covered pine poles with cedar bark to create a sturdy and durable shelter.

An o-chum had two openings: an entrance at front and smokehole at its pinnacle A small fire was built in the colder months for warmth.

The blanket was - like the bedding - made from the skins of the smaller animals, cut into strips, and woven together for extra warmth.

Young hunters used sweat houses before they went on a trip, to rid their bodies of the human smell that could betray their presence to the prey.

Contemporary groups connected to the Ahwahneechee include the American Indian Council of Mariposa County, Inc. (or Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation), the Mono Lake Kootzaduka'a, and the following federally recognized tribes: An unrecognized tribe, the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation is actively petitioning the U.S. Department of the Interior for federal recognition.