Liksiyu | |
|---|---|
 The Cayuse Tribe land area | |
| Total population | |
| 2010: 304 alone and in combination[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United States (Washington andOregon) | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerlyCayuse | |
| Religion | |
| Animism, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Umatilla,Walla Walla,Nez Perce |
TheCayuse are aNative American tribe in what is now the state ofOregon in theUnited States. The Cayuse tribe shares areservation and government in northeastern Oregon with theUmatilla and theWalla Walla tribes as part of theConfederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The reservation is located nearPendleton, Oregon, at the base of theBlue Mountains.
The Cayuse called themselves theLiksiyu in theCayuse language.[2] Originally located in present-day northeastern Oregon and southeasternWashington, they lived adjacent to territory occupied by theNez Perce and had close associations with them. Like otherIndigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau, the Cayuse placed a high premium on warfare and were skilled horsemen. They developed theCayuse pony. The Cayuse ceded most of their traditional territory to the United States in 1855 by treaty and moved to the Umatilla Reservation, where they have formed a confederated tribe.
According to Haruo Aoki (1998), the Cayuse called themselvesLiksiyu in their language.[2] Their nameCayuse was derived from the French word "cailloux," meaning stones or rocks, adopted by early French Canadian trappers of the area. The name may have referred to the rocky area the tribe inhabited, or it may have been an imprecise rendering of the name they called themselves.[3] The tribe has been closely associated with the neighboring Nez Percé and Walla Walla. The Cayuse language is anisolate, independent of the neighboringSahaptin-speaking peoples. The Cayuse population was about 500 in the eighteenth century.
The Cayuse were a seminomadic tribe and maintained summer and winter villages on theSnake,Tucannon,Walla Walla, andTouchet rivers in Washington, and along theUmatilla,Grand Ronde,Burnt,Powder,John Day River, and from the Blue Mountains to theDeschutes River in Oregon. Historian Verne Ray has identified seventy-six traditional Cayuse Village sites, most temporary, seasonal sites; five separate villages in the Walla Walla Valley and seven Cayuse Bands scattered throughout Eastern Oregon and Washington. The Walla Walla River Cayuse Band was called thePa'cxapu. Other sources name only three distinct regional bands within the Cayuse at the time: two centered on the Umatilla River, and the third on the Walla Walla River.
The Cayuse were known for their bravery, and as horsemen. They bred their ponies for speed and endurance, developing what is now called theCayuse horse. No longer restricted to what they could carry or what their dogs could pull, they moved into new areas, traveling as far east as theGreat Plains and as far south asCalifornia, to hunt, trade, fight, and capture slaves. Meanwhile, their herds multiplied rapidly, a combination of skillful breeding and periodic raids on other tribes. By the early 1800s, a Cayuse who owned only 15 to 20 horses was considered poor; wealthy families controlled 2,000 or more. Horses improved the range and effectiveness of war parties, making it possible for Cayuses to dominate their sedentary neighbors on the Columbia. They claimed ownership ofThe Dalles, the great fishery and trade emporium of the Columbia, forcing the weaker bands in that area to pay them tribute in the form ofsalmon and other goods. They frequently were in conflict fighting with Piute,Shoshone, andBannock Tribes to the south and east referred to as theSnake people and other tribes such as the Blackfeet over territory and hunting sites.
As white settlers moved into their territory in large numbers following the opening of theOregon Trail in 1842, the Cayuse suffered. Even settlers passing through competed with them for game and water. American settlers moved into the region during theCalifornia gold rush beginning in 1848 and when gold was discovered in Eastern Oregon in 1862.
The tribe gained wide notoriety in the early days of the white settlement of the territory. In 1838,Marcus Whitman and his wifeNarcissa established amission among the Cayuse atWaiilatpu ("Place of the Rye Grass"), a site about seven miles from the present-day city ofWalla Walla and about a quarter mile east of where the CayusePásxa winter village was located. In 1847, ameasles epidemic, suspected by some to be contracted from white settlers, resulted in high fatalities among the tribe. Cayuse leadership believed the missionaries were deliberately poisoning their native people, since a much higher percentage of the natives were dying from the measles than were the whites. In addition, cultural differences and settler encroachment had caused growing tensions.
The Cayuse attacked the missionaries, killing Whitman and his wife Narcissa, and eleven others. They captured 54 European-American women and children and held them for ransom. They destroyed the mission buildings. This attack prompted an armed response by the United States and theCayuse War ensued. Five Cayuse warriors were hanged; seeCayuse Five.
The Cayuse put the captives to work together with their members; the adults made clothing for the tribe. They released the hostages after theHudson's Bay Company brokered an exchange of 62 blankets, 63 cotton shirts, 12 Hudson Bay rifles, 600 loads of ammunition, 7 pounds oftobacco and 12 flints for the return of the now 49 surviving prisoners. The Cayuse and many from other nearby tribes such as the Walla Walla Tribe were hunted down by Militias and massacred. The Cayuse eventually lost the war. They were forced to cede their land to the US and shared a reservation with the Umatilla and Walla Walla.
By 1851, the Cayuse had long intermarried with the neighboringNez Percé, with whom they had sheltered; many learned their language. Kathleen Gordon, a Tribal member of the Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, was a Cayuse/Nez Pierce Language instructor who spoke and taught the Nez Pierce language, but also knew small amounts of the Original Cayuse Language that is now extinct.
In 1855, the Cayuse joined theTreaty of Walla Walla[4] with the Umatilla and Walla Walla by which theUmatilla Indian Reservation was formed. Since that time, they have officially resided within the reservation's limits. During the mid-twentieth century, some members moved to cities under theIndian Relocation Act of 1956, an effort to give better access for contemporary jobs.
Their number was officially reported as 404 in 1904; this number may be misleading. A count in 1902 found one pure-blooded Cayuse on the reservation. Descendants with ancestry partially of the other tribes may still have identified as Cayuse. The Cayuse language is believed to have become extinct by then. As the members of the three tribes have intermarried, they no longer keep separate population numbers.
The Cayuse Indians were located in the Columbia Basin and were nomadic, sometimes moving on a daily basis. They lived inteepees, which many nomadic tribes used for portability. The Cayuse were skilled horsemen, and used horses in hunting. They also used them for their trip over theRocky Mountains each year to hunt a supply of buffalo to bring back for their families. The men hunted game and fished salmon. The women gathered and picked berries and dug and processed roots. The women also processed the animal skins to make materials for shelter and clothing. The men considered bravery to be an important quality, with brave warriors being held in high esteem. The strongest would be made chief.
TheCayuse language is alanguage isolate and has been extinct since the 1930s. Weyíiletpuu was a dialect of the Nez Perce language spoken by the Cayuse inhabitants of theConfederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. It has not been used since the 1940s and is designated as extinct.[5]
One of the Cayuse's main food sources was salmon from the Columbia River. During winter, many Cayuse have traditionally convened in "winter villages" along rivers to fish for sustenance.[6] Along withtrout andlamprey, they also huntedelk anddeer, as well as small game such as rabbits and fowl.[7] They have also gathered wild celery, berries,serviceberries,chokeberries, currants, andcamas. In some cases, traditional harvesting practices continue to this day.[6]
Indigenous peoples in Oregon | ||
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