Innumerable moons and snows have passed since the Great Spirit
guided a little band of his favorite children into the beautiful
vale of Ah-wah´-nee [Yosemite Valley], and bid them stop and
rest from their long and weary wanderings, which had lasted ever
since they had been separated by the great waters from the happy
land of their forefathers in the far distant _El-o´-win_
(West).

Here they found food in abundance for all. The rivers gave them
plenty of _la-pe´-si_ (trout). They found in the meadows sweet
_ha´-ker_ (clover), and sour _yu-yu-yu-mah_ (oxalis) for spring
medicine, and sweet _toon´-gy_ and other edible roots in
abundance. The trees and bushes yielded acorns, pine nuts, fruits
and berries. In the forests were herds of _he´-ker_ (deer) and
other animals, which gave meat for food and skins for clothing
and beds. And here they lived and multiplied, and, as instructed
by their medicine men, worshipped the Great Spirit which gave
them life, and the sun which warmed and made them happy.

[Illustration: _Photograph by Boysen_.
MARY.
Daughter of Captain John, one of the last Chiefs of the
Yosemites.]

They also kept in memory the happy land of their forefathers. The
story was told by the old people to the young, and they again
told it to their children from generation to generation, and they
all believed that after death their spirits would return to dwell
forever in that distant country.