Tyigh
The Tyigh are a branch of the Sahaptin Indigenous peoples, primarily located in Wasco County, Oregon, near the Tyigh and White rivers. They are part of the broader cultural context of Plateau Indigenous Americans, with their traditional lifestyle focused on hunting, fishing, and gathering, particularly relying on salmon, roots, and berries for sustenance. Due to their seasonal subsistence patterns, the Tyigh lived in village communities that did not develop into large, politically central social structures. The Tyigh spoke the Tenino language and were adept at using horses for travel. Their historical record primarily begins with contact from White explorers and traders in the early 1800s, and there is limited ethnographic evidence regarding their earlier history. In 1855, they were relocated to the Warm Springs Reservation as part of the Wasco Treaty, where they share the land with other Indigenous groups like the Tenino. Since then, the Tyigh population has not been separately documented, contributing to the challenges of understanding their contemporary identity and cultural heritage.
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Tyigh
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Plateau
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Sahaptin
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Oregon
The Tyigh (also spelled “Tygh”), a branch of the Sahaptian family, were so named by White explorers and traders because they lived near the Tyigh and White rivers in what is now Wasco County, Oregon. As is generally true for the Sahaptin Indigenous groups, there is no ethnographic evidence or traditional lore to show where these Plateau Indigenous Americans lived earlier than their first encounter with Whites in the early 1800s. Sahaptin nations lived in village communities of varying sizes. Because they relied on hunting and fishing (salmon being a chief staple of their diet) and on gathering roots and berries, they moved throughout the year to find food in different seasons. This prevented villages from growing and developing as political or social centers.
Sahaptin Indigenous groups do not seem to have relied on agriculture. They were skilled with horses and used them in their travels. Tyigh spoke the Tenino language. Under the terms of the Wasco Treaty of 1855, the Tyigh were placed on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon, along with the Tenino and other Indigenous peoples. Their population as a separate group has not been counted since.
Bibliography
“The Indigenous People of the Deschutes River.” ROW Adventures, www.rowadventures.com/blog/indigenous-people-deschutes-river. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
"Sahaptin (Ichishkíin Sɨ́nwit)." Omniglot, omniglot.com/writing/sahaptin.htm. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
“The Teninos.” Discover Lewis and Clark, lewis-clark.org/native-nations/sahaptian-peoples/teninos. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
Trafzer, Cliff (Wyandot). "Native American Treaties, Northeastern Oregon." Oregon Encyclopedia, 22 Nov. 2022, www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/native‗american‗treaties‗eastern‗oregon/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
“Tyigh Tribe.” Access Geneaology, accessgenealogy.com/oregon/tyigh-tribe.htm. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.