Cayuse
The Cayuse tribe is a Native American group primarily recognized as part of the Plateau cultural region, although some scholars classify them within the Great Basin. Known as "Cailloux" or "People of the Stones" by early French-Canadian fur traders, the Cayuse have historical ties to the Walla Walla and Nez Perce tribes, with whom they shared cultural exchanges and intermarried. Their traditional territory is situated near the headwaters of the Walla Walla, Umatilla, and Grande Ronde rivers. The Cayuse gained a reputation as skilled horse riders, and the term "cayuse" has come to refer to American Indian ponies in general.
The pre-contact history of the Cayuse is not extensively documented, but interactions with explorers like Lewis and Clark and later missionaries shed light on their culture. Tensions escalated with the arrival of European Americans, leading to conflicts such as the Cayuse War (1847-1850), which stemmed from grievances over land and the influence of missionaries on their traditional ways of life. Following the war, the Cayuse were forcibly relocated to the Umatilla reservation, which has since been significantly reduced in size due to external pressures. Today, the Cayuse population is small and primarily resides on a shared reservation with the Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes in northeastern Oregon, collectively known as the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
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Subject Terms
Cayuse
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Plateau
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Cayuse language isolate
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Oregon and Washington
- POPULATION SIZE: 55 (2020 Decennial Census)
The Cayuse are generally considered a Plateau Indigenous group, but some scholars consider the Cayuse a Great Basin group. The Cayuse were called “Cailloux,” meaning “People of the Stones,” by early French-Canadian fur traders. They were closely related to the Walla Walla of southeastern Washington and to the Nez Perce, with whom they intermarried and whose more flexible language they eventually adopted. They lived primarily near the headwaters of the Walla Walla, Umatilla, and Grande Ronde rivers. The Cayuse acquired the horse relatively early and became known as expert riders (the term “cayuse” was eventually adopted by Whites to refer to Indigenous American ponies generally).
Little is known of the pre-contact history of the Cayuse. Some of the earliest information about them was recorded in the journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition and in historical documents describing the activities of missionary Marcus Whitman in the Walla Walla, Washington, region.
By 1844, the number of European Americans arriving in Cayuse territory had escalated to the point that a dramatic increase in confrontations was occurring between the two groups. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Cayuse became regarded by Whites as one of the more fierce and warlike groups of Indigenous Americans. Two sources of tension were the activities of missionaries and, later, the fact that Whites repeatedly sought to move the Cayuse from their land. Among the missionaries in the area were Marcus Whitman, Samuel Parker, and Catholic priests François Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers. In 1841, the two priests baptized several Cayuse chiefs and the baby of Chief Tauitau. In 1847, a group of Cayuse killed missionary Whitman along with thirteen others, beginning what is known as the Cayuse War (1847-1850). The Cayuse were angry and worried that he and other missionaries, in attempting to win converts, were beginning to destroy traditional Cayuse beliefs and lifeways. In return, a vigilante army launched a devastating attack on the Cayuse.
In 1856, about a year after the Walla Walla Treaty was made at the Walla Walla Council, a general war broke out among the Plateau tribes, who essentially wanted their lands back. The Cayuse were unable to keep their lands in the Walla Walla valley, however, and they had to move to the Umatilla reservation. In 1886, because Whites wanted land that was part of the Umatilla reservation, the reservation was reduced to about one-fourth of its original size.
The contemporary Cayuse population is small. Through the years, members have intermarried with other groups, and their descendants tend to be scattered among the Colville, Nez Perce, Coeur d’Alene, and Umatilla reservations. In the mid-2020s, the majority of the Cayuse shared a reservation with the Umatilla and Walla Walla in northeastern Oregon. Together, they were referred to as the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Bibliography
“The Cayuse Indians.” National Park Service, 28 Sept. 2002, www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online‗books/hh/37/hh37i.htm. Accessed 1 Jan. 2024.
"The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation." Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, critfc.org/member-tribes-overview/the-confederated-tribes-of-the-umatilla-indian-reservation/. Accessed 1 Jan. 2024.
Hunn, Eugene S. Cáw Pawá Láakni / They Are Not Forgotten: Sahaptian Place Names Atlas of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla. Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, 2015.
Karson, Jennifer. Wiyaxayxt / Wiyaakaa'awn / As Days Go By: Our History, Our Land, Our People—The Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla. University of Washington Press, 2006.
“2020: DEC Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A: Cayuse Alone.” US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/table?q=cayuse. Accessed 1 Jan. 2024.
Weiser-Alexander, Kathy. “Cayuse Tribe of Washington and Oregon.” Legends of America, Nov. 2021, www.legendsofamerica.com/cayuse-tribe. Accessed 1 Jan. 2024.