Tehachapi in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Nüwa - Kawaiisu People

Nüwa - Kawaiisu Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 21, 2019

1. Nüwa - Kawaiisu Marker

Inscription.

Nüwa - Kawaiisu People. . , “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” as we were assured by Mark Twain, and so it is with the Nüwa/Kawaiisu people, the hunter/gatherers who inhabited the areas from the Southern Sierra Nevada, through the Tehachapi mountains and into the southwestern Great Basin and the western Mojave Desert since pre-historic times -- Do not think of them as totally gone -- they certainly are not! Ancestors of "the people", the Nüwa/Kawaiisu still live in the area. They are, and should be, proud of themselves and the legacy of their ancestors. The Nüwa/Kawaiisu were the first known people to live on or near this site from as far back as 1,500 to 3,000 years ago in a village, and by a lake known as Tehechita (the first U.S. Post Office probably got its name from Tiha-chipi-a, the Nüwa/Kawaiisu word for "hard climb") and this place should not be forgotten. , "Yuwa-Hanoak Tama Nisuma-Kweh-Vaad Itaabym" (Never will we forget the ancestors) -- Quote "stolen” (with permission) from "Handbook of the Kawaiisu” by local author/archaeologist Alan P. Garfinkel PhD. , The Nüwa/Kawaiisu people have many stories, usually passed down by an elder, and usually about lessons to learn from the wolf, mountain lion, rattlesnake, or coyote -- mostly the coyote. Here is an example: "Coyote was carrying a basket with many children in it. He grew tired and set the basket on the ground. The children came out and ran away. They scattered in every direction. That is why people are all over the earth." , Clampers, as we call ourselves, like to have fun, and apparently so does the State of California Parks Dept. -- Their website, talking about the Kawaiisu, and about occasionally happening upon some of their "Rock Art"; "These people are known for both petroglyph (stone tapped) and pictograph (painted) art", it says, "While we can identify resemblances between the pictographs and known objects or beings, we can only speculate about what they mean. When viewing these pictographs or petroglyphs, it may be prudent to keep your distance. It is said to touch them causes blindness!" Someone in the Parks Dept. must be a Clamper! , Plaque Dedicated during our Fall Doins', September 21, 2019, by The Peter Lebeck Chapter 1866 of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus.

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” as we were assured by Mark Twain, and so it is with the Nüwa/Kawaiisu people, the hunter/gatherers who inhabited the areas from the Southern Sierra Nevada, through the Tehachapi mountains and into the southwestern Great Basin and the western Mojave Desert since pre-historic times -- Do not think of them as totally gone -- they certainly are not! Ancestors of "the people", the Nüwa/Kawaiisu still live in the area. They are, and should be, proud of themselves and the legacy of their ancestors. The Nüwa/Kawaiisu were the first known people to live on or near this site from as far back as 1,500 to 3,000 years ago in a village, and by a lake known as Tehechita (the first U.S. Post Office probably got its name from Tiha-chipi-a, the Nüwa/Kawaiisu word for "hard climb") and this place should not be forgotten.

"Yuwa-Hanoak Tama Nisuma-Kweh-Vaad Itaabym" (Never will we forget the ancestors) -- Quote "stolen” (with permission) from "Handbook of the Kawaiisu” by local author/archaeologist Alan P. Garfinkel PhD.

The Nüwa/Kawaiisu people have many stories, usually passed down by an elder, and usually about lessons to learn from the wolf, mountain lion, rattlesnake, or coyote -- mostly the coyote. Here is an example: "Coyote was carrying a basket with many children

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in it. He grew tired and set the basket on the ground. The children came out and ran away. They scattered in every direction. That is why people are all over the earth."

Clampers, as we call ourselves, like to have fun, and apparently so does the State of California Parks Dept. -- Their website, talking about the Kawaiisu, and about occasionally happening upon some of their "Rock Art"; "These people are known for both petroglyph (stone tapped) and pictograph (painted) art", it says, "While we can identify resemblances between the pictographs and known objects or beings, we can only speculate about what they mean. When viewing these pictographs or petroglyphs, it may be prudent to keep your distance. It is said to touch them causes blindness!" Someone in the Parks Dept. must be a Clamper!

Plaque Dedicated during our Fall Doins', September 21, 2019, by The Peter Lebeck Chapter 1866 of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus.

Erected 2019 by E Clampus Vitus.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list.

Location. 35° 8.91′ N, 118° 29.658′

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 21, 2019

2. Nüwa - Kawaiisu Marker

W. Marker is in Tehachapi, California, in Kern County. It can be reached from Woodford-Tehachapi Road south of Country Club Drive, on the left when traveling south. Located next to the parking lot of Golden Hills Nature Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22630 Woodford-Tehachapi Rd, Tehachapi CA 93561, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley,

specifically in the Central Valley,

and in the Sierra Nevada.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: "Old Town" (approx. 0.4 miles away); Constable Thomas Godwin (approx. one mile away); Tehachapi Westside Cemetery War Memorial (approx. 1.9 miles away); Avelino Martinez (approx. 1.9 miles away); Duty~Honor~Country (approx. 2.7 miles away); Tehachapi Loop Mural (approx. 2.7 miles away); Original site of the First Catholic Church in 1887 (approx. 2.8 miles away); Tehachapi Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tehachapi.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 21, 2019

3. Nüwa - Kawaiisu Marker

Marker Unveiling Ceremony image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 21, 2019

4. Marker Unveiling Ceremony

Golden Hills Nature Park and Lake image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, September 21, 2019

5. Golden Hills Nature Park and Lake

Nüwa - Kawaiisu People Mural image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Denise Boose, September 10, 2023

6. Nüwa - Kawaiisu People Mural

Located at the intersection of F Street and Green Street.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 985 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 21, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 6. submitted on October 6, 2023, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.