| Yosemite is named for a band of Awahneeches who lived on
the south bank of the Merced River in what is now
Yosemite Valley California U.S.A. The name is derived Miwok
Indian word Yoham'-i-te. That Miwok name was derived
from a word for grizzly bear hunters
Oo-hoo'-ma-te (or O-ham'-it-e).
The band was known as grizzly hunters.
Reference:
Margaret Sanborn. Yosemite, its discovery, its wonders and its people. Yosemite CA: Yosemite Association, 1989. |