Mariposa War

Mariposa War
Part of California Genocide
Members of the Mariposa Battalion firing into an indigenous people encampment during a campaign in the Mariposa War
Date December 1850 – June 1851 Location Mariposa County, California 37°35′N 119°55′W / 37.58°N 119.91°W / 37.58; -119.91 Result Deaths of an unknown number of Ahwahnechee and several settlers Permanent removal of indigenous people from their traditional lands.
Combatants
Mariposa Battalion	Ahwahnechee Chowchilla
Commanders and leaders
James D. Savage	Tenaya Jose Juarez Jose Rey
Units involved
Company A Company B Company C	Native Americans
Strength
~200 militia	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Several killed and wounded	Unknown
class=notpageimage| Location within California

The Mariposa War (December 1850 – June 1851), also known as the Yosemite Indian War, was a conflict between the United States and the indigenous people of California's Sierra Nevada in the 1850s. The war was fought primarily in Mariposa County and surrounding areas, and was sparked by the discovery of gold in the region. As a result of the military expedition, the Mariposa Battalion became the first non-indigenous group to enter Yosemite Valley and the Nelder Grove.^[1]

The war began in 1850 when miners entered the area of the Sierra Nevada foothills, which was traditionally occupied by the Ahwahnechee, a band of the Southern Sierra Miwok people. The miners began to take over the Ahwahnechee's land and resources, leading to tensions between the two groups.

The Ahwahnechee, led by their chief Tenaya, fought back against the miners resulting in a series of skirmishes that escalated into a full-scale war. The California state government, under Governor John McDougall, raised the Mariposa Battalion led by Sheriff James D. Savage to subdue the indigenous people.^[2][3]

The war ended in 1851 with the capture of Tenaya and the surrender of his band. The Ahwahnechee were subsequently removed from the Sierra Nevada foothills and forced to live on reservations. The war resulted in the deaths of an unknown number of Ahwahnechee and several miners, and the displacement of the indigenous people from their ancestral lands.^[4]

The Mariposa War was a part of the broader historical context of the California genocide and the American Indian Wars. Many European American settlers considered Native Americans to be an "Indian Problem" which they needed to remove.^[4] The United States government, California state government, and White settlers enforced deliberate policies of displacement, forced removals, and massacres that drove Native Americans from their traditional lands and onto reservations.