Tenino
The Tenino, also known as the Warm Springs people, are a group from the Sahaptin language family primarily located in the valley of the Deschutes River in Oregon. Historically, they lived in village communities that varied in size, relying on a subsistence lifestyle that included hunting, fishing—particularly salmon—and gathering roots and berries. This seasonal mobility for food prevented the establishment of permanent settlements and political centers. The Tenino, like other Sahaptin groups, did not practice agriculture and were skilled horsemen, which aided their travels. They maintained generally peaceful relations with neighboring tribes and White settlers, avoiding major conflicts despite experiencing mistreatment. In 1855, they were relocated to the Warm Springs Reservation under the Wasco Treaty, where they are now counted as part of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Nation. The Tenino also retain rights to ancestral lands near Mount Hood, which are integral to their cultural heritage.
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Tenino
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Plateau
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Sahaptin
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Oregon
The Tenino (also known as the Warm Springs people), a branch of the Sahaptin family, originally occupied the valley of the Deschutes River in Oregon. As is generally true for the Sahaptin groups, there is no ethnographic evidence or traditional lore to show where the Tenino lived earlier than their first encounter with White explorers and traders in the early 1800s. Sahaptin Indigenous people lived in village communities of varying size. Because they relied on hunting and fishing—salmon was a chief staple of their diet—as well as on gathering roots and berries, they were forced to move throughout the year to find food in different seasons. This necessity prevented the villages from growing and developing as political or social centers over time. Sahaptin groups do not seem to have relied on agriculture. These Plateau Indigenous Americans were skilled with horses and used them in their travels seeking food. For the most part, Sahaptin people dealt peacefully with their neighbors and with White settlers—largely because of the refusal of the Sahaptin to engage in violent retaliation for ill-treatment. There is no record of any major battles between the Tenino and Whites. Under the terms of the Wasco Treaty of 1855, the Tenino were placed on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon, along with the Tyigh and other Indigenous nations. Their population as a separate group has not been counted since, and they are considered members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs nation. The Tenino also retain the rights to ancestral lands around Mount Hood.
Bibliography
"Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon." Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, critfc.org/member-tribes-overview/the-confederated-tribes-of-the-warm-springs-reservation-of-oregon/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
“The Indigenous People of the Deschutes River.” ROW Adventures, www.rowadventures.com/blog/indigenous-people-deschutes-river. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
"Sahaptin." Endangered Languages Project, www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/3368. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
“Tenino.” DICE: Database for Indigenous Cultural Evolution, dice.missouri.edu/assets/docs/north-america-other/Tenino.pdf. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
"Tenino." Native Land Digital, 31 July 2022, native-land.ca/maps/territories/tenino. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
“The Teninos.” Discover Lewis and Clark, lewis-clark.org/native-nations/sahaptian-peoples/teninos. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.