Sacred Texts Native American California Index Previous Next
Tis-sa-ack, who lived in a far away country, journeyed with her husband to the Valley of Ah-wah-nee. They had crossed the high mountains, carrying heavy burdens, and were footsore and weary from their long journey. They, were also very thirsty and were hurrying to reach the Valley, that they might drink from one of the clear lakes or streams, which they knew would be found there When at last they reached Ah-wei-ya (Mirror Lake), Tis-sa-ack, who was ahead of her husband, sat down to drink. Again and again she filled her basket, and drained it, so that when her husband reached the lake she had drunk up all of the water and the lake was dry. When he found that she had drunk up all of the water her husband became very angry, and forgetting the customs of his people, he beat her severely. Tis-sa-ack ran, but her husband ran after her and continued to beat her so that she laid down the baby basket containing her papoose. Then, when he did not stop, becoming very angry with the pain and humiliation, she turned and hurled her burden basket at him.
Then The Great Spirit himself, shocked by such conduct on the part of his children, became angry, and turned
them all into granite. Tis-sa-ack became that noble mountain now called Half Dome, and today on the broken side of Half Dome can still be seen her face with the tears caused by her pain and humiliation streaming down it. Her husband was changed into Washington Column and North Dome, while beside him, the upturned burden basket, which Tis-sa-ack in her anger had hurled at him, became Basket Dome. The baby basket containing the papoose, which had been kicked aside during the trouble, became The Royal Arches, and there they may all be seen today.