We Native people are always very respectful of our elders. Our elders pass down the knowledge, culture, and traditions to younger members and keep our tribal histories in tact.

I was surprised to hear that once again our tribal leader was disrespected and talked down by a Yosemite National Park employee, not only just a regular Yosemite National Park governmental employee but the Yosemite National Park Indian Liaison.

The United States federal government designated a special employee to be an envoy between the Park service and the Indian groups that once held the land that was theirs.

When the Yosemite Paiute people started to question why the Park was changing our historical tribal people from Paiutes to Miwoks, our Paiute baskets were being labeled “Miwok-Paiute”, and the Paiutes, including the most important historical tale of Chief Tenaya were being erased from the Park, the Park Service became abrasive.

We Paiutes noticed that the Park Service was bending over backwards to appease their current and former Indian employees who are going for federal recognition under the name “Southern Sierra Miwuk”. We have no qualms with the Miwoks, but what the Park was doing was lying and re-creating history. The person who has been responding to our requests and concerns is the Yosemite National Park Liaison who has been extremely rude to our people and want us to just go away. The reason they like working with this non-profit is because they OK excavation projects like digging up Indian grave sites like at El Portal where we Paiutes disagree with this practice. They use this group to go around NAGPRA policies and prevent any Indian groups from complaining.

Recently our tribal leader contacted Yosemite National Park Service to ask what their policy was regarding bears that are killed by automobiles or found dead. When Grizzly Bears were roaming in Yosemite we Paiutes considered them our “Aunties” and that is what we call them in our language. Today in Yosemite there are only black bears, but we Paiutes hold them in high regards. A Yosemite Park newsletter stated that many bears are killed every year by speeding automobiles in the Park and asked people to please be careful, so we Paiutes wanted to know what happens to the dead bear carcasses, which is really a simple request. (see Photo 1)

Our tribal leader called what he thought was the department that handled that matter and a few days later the Yosemite National Park’s Indian Liaison, who is white, called him back. In previous conversations the Yosemite Indian Liaison has hung up on one of our members who asked why his ancestor had been changed from a Mono Paiute to Southern Sierra Miwok on Park signs and books. In mid conversation she said “I don’t need to listen to this anymore” and rudely hung up the phone on him. In other conversations she has indicated that we were lying and told our Chairman “We don’t believe you” after we provided government documents, Indian census, Indian probates, plus excerpts from the book that they sell in their own bookstore showing that Paiutes, not Miwoks, were the original Indians of Yosemite (see Photo 2)

This time our tribal leader made a record of her conversation with the Yosemite National Park Indian Liaison and this is how it went:

Conversation with Yosemite National Park Indian Liaison on March 4th 2009 regarding our call about bear disposal in Yosemite National Park

I had placed a call to the YNP about the bear skinning incident last week

I wanted to ask about the NPS procedure of disposal of dead bears in YNP.

I placed a call to Tom Medema.

Naturally no one returned my call so I forgot the incident.

Then on March 4, 2009 at 1145 am, I got a call from the NPS.

Jeanette Simons called me at 11:45.

I was surprised it was the Indian liaison Jeanette Simons.

I asked why she was calling and she said I called her.

I said no, but I did call the staff of interpretation of YNP.

I explained the call was regarding the bear skinning incident which I read in the minutes and I was curious on the YNP Protocol dealing with dead bears.

I said to Jeanette Simons, “You saw it since you over see the minutes of the non profit Southern Sierra Miwoks.”

Jeanette Simons said “that bear skinning incident only happened once.”

I said “not according to the minutes where it stated in the following sentences it was on going since 1960/70s.”

Jeanette Simons stated rudely "Were you there”?

I asked her if she was there?

Jeanette Simons stated no!

Jeanette Simons asked me if I called Kimberly Summerfield?

I said no based on the court testimony she is not an Indian and for a non Indian to cut up a bear in the Parks Indian Village is outrageous.

I said in the minutes even the members of the Southern Sierra Miwoks Tribal council they thought it was outrageous and as I further read in the minutes the council didn’t even think Kimberley was an Indian.

Jeanette Simons stated you can be an Indian and not be federally recognized.

I said I read Kimberly Summerfield’s Federal court testimony in the Lorenzo Baca case and she stated under oath she was adopted Miwok but couldn’t prove it and then she further stated she was Cherokee.

I said “I doubt she is an enrolled Indian and under the eyes of the Government and Kimberley is not a federally recognized Indian.”

Jeanette Simons stated “Oh I forgot you’re a Walker Indian.”

I said “yes I am a Walker River Paiute and I am a federally recognized Indian.”

I said “you know I can remember on December 5, 2007 here in Sacramento, when you asked rather catty, Where is Walker River on the map.”

I said “I showed you but I remember your tone, I said ever since I have known you it appears you always come off with a snotty tone with cutting remarks.”

I told her “I remember every cutting remark she has ever said to me.”

I told her after the Paiutes were kicked out of Yosemite National Park they went home to Mono Lake and when the Department of Water and Power bought everyone out, the Paiutes relocated to Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation to become farmers.

I asked her if she read the minutes and took the testimony seriously such as Raymond Andrews riding a horse in the Meadows and reaching down and eating a marmot.

I asked her if she took Raymond Andrews testimony seriously when he stated the UCLA Fowler was going to give him artifacts from the El Portal Site and he said he was going to give it to Tony.

I told her I called Wendy Teeter who disputed that process since non profits could not acquire any artifacts.

Jeanette Simons asked me if I enjoyed ridiculing Indian people.

I said I’m not ridiculing Indian people, I’m just reading the minutes of YNP and the tribes.

Jeanette Simons stated “You must not read very well”.

I said I read English as written in these minutes. Jeanette Simons stated “obviously you don’t understand what you read”.

I said “Oh I read and understand very well.”

Jeanette Simons stated “I don’t think so”.

I said “you know Jeanette you go on and on and no one has ever corrected you.”

I said “I can remember all the statements you made such as ‘Where do you people get this stuff’?”

I told her another cutting remark she uses is "Some people disagree with you?

I said “You remind me of Mrs. Drysdale acting like some puffed up white woman who doesn’t know how to speak with Indian People.”

Jeanette Simons said "You got the minutes and you’re like a kid in a candy store and you don’t know what to do with them?

I said I read them to see the bigger picture and to become enlightened.

She laughed and said “Your Not enlighten, far from it.”

I said “there you go again with your cutting remarks.”

Jeanette Simons stated “What can I do for you today.”

I said I wanted the protocol of YNP and the dead bear policy.

Jeanette Simons stated I just gave you the protocol. (She still did not give us the procedure but continued to argue. We just wanted the policy and procedure of dead bear disposal).

I said can you send me a statement from your office documenting this bear skinning incident and she said she just gave me a statement.

I said I would like one in writing and Jeanette Simons asked for what reason.

I said I don’t know maybe one of my members might want to create a blog or I might give it to the media.

Jeanette Simons stated haven’t you already done this?

I said I will write the Superintendent or Washington DC and then I will get a written response from them.

Jeanette Simons said I just gave you a response,

I said I need one in writing.

Jeanette Simons said write the Superintendent and he will give you your written response.

Jeanette Simons also added “Oh David, You know that stuff you gave us in the binder December 5, 2007, well we just don’t believe you anymore.

I said “you never believed us when we first met in YNP so really nothings changed. You have always been negative to us so why should this surprise me.”

I realized this is the same old conversation with Jeanette Simons and politely told her
“Your no Indian liaison and hung up.”

After this conversation we Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiute people were finally fed up with the treatment at the hands of the non-Indian Yosemite Park Indian Liaison towards our elders and leaders of our tribal group. We filed a formal complaint and hopefully it doesn’t fall on deaf ears.

Our tribal elders and leaders should be offered the highest respect and honor and not treated with such disrespect from the United States government official who is paid to be the go-between the Park and the Indian people of the area. (see Photo 3)

Our tribal Chairman, who she disrespected, is the direct descendent of Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiute chiefs and captains. He is descended from Captain John, leader, warrior and medicine man of the Mono Lake Paiute people. He is also from Captain Jim, leader of the Bridgeport Paiute people and the people who used to roam northern Yosemite. Here is the real kicker, according to the false genealogy that Yosemite National Park is passing off to help its friends and fellow co-workers at the Park, our Paiute Chairman is the hereditary chief of the Southern Sierra Miwuks, while those in charge are not. That is correct according to the faulty genealogy that the Park is now using our Paiute chairman is the hereditary chief of the Southern Sierra Miwoks.

Years back Yosemite National Park’s white Indian ethnologist Craig D. Bates wrote that Young Charlie was from the line of Yosemite Miwok chiefs. What Bates did not realize when he wrote that incorrect information was that Young Charlie, who was not a Miwok but a Paiute, had an older brother. This older brother was Pretty Charlie and our chairman is also a direct descendent of Pretty Charlie. If we are too believe the Park’s wrong and faulty genealogy than as the oldest male of the Charlie family the line of the Miwoks goes down through the older male generations, and would mean that according to the Park that would fall directly on our Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiute Chairman. The same Chairman and elder the Yosemite National Park Service’s Indian Liaison disrespected. Of course that is using their faulty information, when in fact Young Charlie and his older brother Pretty Charlie and the rest of the Charlies were Paiutes.

We believe that Yosemite National Park Service should hire someone who can speak to the concerns of the Indian people without being extremely rude to us. We Indian people are tired of this treatment at the hands of the United States government, but then once again haven’t they always treated Indian people this way.

Source:YosemitePaiutes