Yosemite is named for a
band of Awahneeches who lived on
the south bank of the
Merced River in what is now
Yosemite Valley California U.S.A. The name is derived
Miwok
Indian word
Yoham'-i-te. That Miwok name was derived
from a word for
grizzly bear hunters
Oo-hoo'-ma-te (or
O-ham'-it-e).
The band was known as grizzly hunters.
Reference:
Margaret Sanborn. Yosemite, its discovery, its wonders and its people. Yosemite CA: Yosemite Association, 1989.