The Sierra Nevada is a major mountain range of western North America, it runs along
the eastern edge of the state of California. The indigenous inhabitants of the Sierra Nevada were divided into five main groups:
the Yokut, Sierra Miwok, Maidu, Paiute, and Washoe.1
The first Europeans in this area were Spanish explorers and missionaries in the 1700s.
The traditional territory of the Indigenous Peoples in the Sierra Nevada were further
disrupted when Samuel Bishop marched into [and occupied] the valley in 1860. Due to this occupation, the Indigneous food stores became depleted.2
The Indigenous Peoples in this region, particularly the Paiute, fought for their land
until 1865 when settlers murdered approximately 41 Paiute people. Prior to this, the U.S government
pursued a policy of “Indian removal” from 1854 to 1859. During this time, California state officials pursued Indigenous extermination in this region.3