long the rivers of the great Columbia Plateau, seasonal villages were created along the riverbank and on islands wherever there were rapids. Marked on the west by Celilo Falls and on the east by the Rocky Mountains, this area was predominantly occupied by people who spoke various dialects of the Sahaptin language. Upper-Chinookan dialects were spoken around Celilo and The Dalles. The Cayuse spoke their own language but intermarried with Nez Perce and eventually adopted that language as their own.

Map showing locations of tribes at contact period. (Suttles:1990, and Walker:1998)
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Physiographic map of Columbia Plateau, adapted from Raisz:1959
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The most important fisheries supplied foods to large villages of combined groups. All these Sahaptin bands recognized themselves to be related to each other, although their dialects were distinct enough to recognize their differences. They intermarried, traded, traveled, and warred together.

Salish neighbors lived to the north of these Sahaptin groups. Their good relations found them meeting often for trade and intermarriage between these groups was common. Relationships with their southern neighbors, the Shoshones and Bannocks, was not so amicable. Warfare was common between these groups.

Click here to view chart of tribal names and locations.

Lewis and Clark recorded dozens of villages in this region, although most of the names are not recognizable today. Through the treaties of 1855, the children and grandchildren of the people met by Lewis and Clark on the Columbia Plateau were relocated onto various reservations depending upon which side of the river they occupied and which treaty their ancestors signed.

Today they live on the Umatilla Reservation in Oregon, the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho, and primarily on the Yakama Reservation in Washington.

WMV 56k 256k Quicktime 256k Transcript Roberta Conner, Director of the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, tells about the various peoples encountered by Lewis & Clark

What Endures for Peoples Along the Cascades...

Courtesy Tamástslikt Cultural Institute

Some of the tribes of the Columbia Plateau are better known in American history than most other groups of the Columbia River. Everyone has heard of Chief Joseph and the flight of the Nez Perce. Everyone has heard of Appaloosa horses. Many important traditions continue for the tribes of the Columbia Plateau. Like the peoples of the Columbia rapids and cascades, each spring, first foods feasts are conducted in longhouses throughout the region. As Lewis and Clark traveled back up the river in the spring of 1806, they heard about the return of the salmon and the commemoration of that annual event.

In their travels, Lewis and Clark only caught a glimpse of these rich cultures which have continued to grow, change and adapt. More important than how these people once lived is to understand what endures for these native peoples of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Despite everything they have suffered, the cultural traditions of these groups remain strong. Learn from tribal members about some enduring aspects of cultural life including language, religious traditions and cultural values, foods, caring for elders, and some traditional activities.