Great Spirit of Yosemite

Now in his old age, Chief Tenaya’s life

and the lives in his tribe are changed forever...


In the Mariposa Indian War of 1850/51, the venerable Chief Tenaya is catapulted into leading his people into conflict against white man’s plunder of their land and culture during the California Gold Rush. His story is a tale of family love, death, tribal lore and spirituality, all of it torn apart by a lust for gold. In Chief Tenaya’s world, the pillages of war are set against the backdrop of daily rhythms of Indian life in the familiar landscape of Yosemite.


Through the interweaving of historical events with imagined and gripping storytelling, Great Spirit of Yosemite chronicles the extraordinary true struggle of the original inhabitants of Yosemite Valley, their determination to cling on to their heritage, and their ultimate sacrifices.