Yosemite

AFTER 1851 — Upon visiting Yosemite Valley for the first time, I realized the impact of naming the land on the way we perceive the environment. The symbols created through language become a civilizational lens through which to see and read the landscape. El Capitán, Bridalveil Fall, Three Brothers, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks, Half Dome... were the names given by Lafayette Bunnell, a pioneer and member of the Mariposa Battalion — the first non-indigenous group to enter the valley.        

BEFORE 1851 — Before Yosemite, the Miwok people called the valley Ahwahnee, meaning “large mouth,” a reference to the gaping mouth of a bear. El Capitán was called too-tok-ah-noo-lah, “measuring-worm stone” from the legend of the measuring worm that saved two children who were stranded when the rock grew. Bridalveil Fall was pohono, “huckleberry patch.” Sentinel Rock was loya, “long water basket.” Cathedral Rocks was poo-see-na-chuck-ka, “large acorn cache.”             

NOW —

the name of the land
a reflection
a relationship

mountains
words are not your name

what is your name?
are you nameless?
speak the unspeakable
We are listening…

We hear something…
a silence that tells everything.

Names tell stories.
Silence speaks the truth.

“Dieu n’est atteint que dans la mesure où on l’a depouillé de tout ses noms.”

Yosemite Valley has a geological story, a natural story, an indigenous story, a colonial story, and a contemporary story — all unfolding at same time. There is an immense opportunity with AR (Augmented Reality) to create layers over the landscape to honor these many stories.

Originally published on 10/23/2023