When Disneyland Resort opened the new Tenaya Stone Spa at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort last year, there was a lot of hullabaloo about how the company was working with and honoring local Indigenous people. Now, evidence and testimony have arisen to question these claims.

A report from Fodor’s reveals that officials from the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, whom Disney claims they contacted and worked with in developing the Tenaya Stone Spa, were never contacted during development, along with the Indigenous People of the Yosemite Valley, and Yosemite National Park. Disney reportedly worked with one member of the tribe and did not verify their stories with the actual Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation before opening the spa.

Additionally, there’s a significant possibility that a felony could be on the line here if the namesake Tenaya Stone, located at the center of the spa, is truly from Lake Tenaya in Yosemite National Park. Taking any property off a National Park is a federal crime.

This potential bombshell comes as Disney is under fire for their lackluster inclusion initiatives, from last month’s controversy over LGBTQ+ legislation in Florida to an incident at Walt Disney World where cheerleaders chanted “scalp ’em, Indians” on Main Street, U.S.A.

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The post Disney Makes False Claims About Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, Appropriates Indigenous Culture for ‘Native’ Inspiration at Tenaya Stone Spa in Disneyland Resort appeared first on WDW News Today.