Imatalamłáma | |
|---|---|
 Umatilla girl, 1911 | |
| Languages | |
| Umatilla | |
| Religion | |
| Traditional religion,Washat,Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Sahaptin peoples |
TheUmatilla are aSahaptin-speaking Native American tribe who traditionally inhabited theColumbia Plateau region of the northwesternUnited States, along theUmatilla andColumbia rivers.[1]
The Umatilla people are calledImatalamłáma, a Umatilla person is calledImatalamłá (with orthographic ł representing IPA/ɬ/). Some sources say thatUmatilla is derived fromimatilám-hlama:hlama means 'those living at' or 'people of' and there is an ongoing debate about the meaning ofimatilám, but it is said to be an island in the Columbia River. B. Rigsby and N. Rude mention the village ofímatalam that was situated at the mouth of the Umatilla River and where the language was spoken. TheNez Perce refer to the Umatilla people ashiyówatalampoo (Aoki (1994:171)).
The Umatilla nation was bordered by theTeninos (Tinaynuɫáma - "People of Tináynu") to the West and theKlickitats (X̣ʷáłx̣ʷayłáma - "Prairie People") to north, across the Columbia River.[2] Also by their northern border were the Palouse,Wasco-Wishrams (Wasq̓ułáma - "People of Wasq̓ú";Wɨ́šx̣amma - "People of Wɨ́šx̣aa/Wɨ́šx̣am (Spearfish)").[2] They had friendly Cayuse, and Walla Walla tribes to the east. Because their homeland lacked natural defenses, the Umatillas were attacked from the south by groups ofBannocks andPaiutes.[2]
Linguistically, theUmatilla language orImatalamłaamí Sɨ́nwit is part of theSahaptin division of thePenutian language family — closely related to other peoples of today'sEastern Oregon,Eastern Washington, and theIdaho panhandle.[1] These included theNez Percé (Šíwaniš - "Stranger"),Cayuse (Wáylatpu / Wáylatpuuma - "Ryegrass People, i.e. Cayuse People"),Walla Walla (Walawalałáma - "People of Walula region along Walla Walla River"),Palouse (Paluuspamá - "People of Palus") and theYakima (Mamačatłáma - "Yakama People").[1] These peoples were ravaged bysmallpox and otherinfectious diseases contracted from European colonists during the first half of the 19th century.[1]
In 1855 the inland Sahaptin-speaking nations were forced to surrender their historic homelands undertreaty to the United States government,[3] in exchange for territorial set-asides onreservations.[1]
Today the Umatilla share land and a governmental structure with the Cayuse and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the federally recognizedConfederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.Their reservation is located nearPendleton, Oregon and theBlue Mountains.
A number of places and geographic features have been named after the tribe, such as theUmatilla River,Umatilla County,Umatilla, Oregon,Umatilla, Florida, andUmatilla National Forest. The impoundment of the Columbia River behind theJohn Day Dam is called Lake Umatilla.
Indigenous peoples in Oregon | ||
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