The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, or simply Yakama Nation (formerly Yakima), is a Native American group with nearly 9,000 enrolled members, living in Washington state. Their reservation, along the Yakima River, covers an area of approximately 1.3 million acres (5,260 km²). Today the nation is governed by the Yakama Tribal Council, which consists of representatives of 14 tribes and bands. Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Klickitat (also spelled Klikitat) are a Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. ... Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... The Yakama Indian Reservation is a United States Indian reservation located on the east side of the Cascade Mountains of the state of Washington. ... Washington State Route 10 winds past the Yakima River (©2004 Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust) The Yakima River south of Union Gap The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. ...

Many tribal members engage in ceremonial, subsistence, and commercial fisheries for salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon in the Columbia River and its tributaries within land ceded by the tribe to the United States. The right to fish is protected by treaties and has been re-affirmed through court cases such as United States v. Washington (the Boldt Decision) and United States v. Oregon. Illustration of a male Coho Salmon The Chinook or King Salmon is the largest salmon in North America and can grow to 1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Rainbow trout. ... Sturgeon is a term for a genus of fish (Acipenser) of which 26 species are known. ... The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. ... United States v. ...

History

The Yakama people were similar to the other native inhabitants of the Columbia River Plateau. They lived off the abundant salmon in the Columbia River as well as berries from the nearby mountains. In 1805 or 1806, they encountered the Lewis and Clark Expedition where the Yakima River merges with the Columbia River. As a consequence of the Walla Walla Council and the Yakima War of 1855, the tribe was moved onto their present reservation. The Treaty of 1855 identified the 14 confederated tribes and bands of the Yakama including "Yakama, Palouse," (now written "Palus"), "Pisquouse, Wenatshapam, Klikatat, Klinquit, Kow-was-say-ee, Li-ay-was, Skin-pah, Wish-ham, Shyiks, Ochechotes, Kah-milt-pay, and Se-ap-cat, confederated tribes and bands of Indians, occupying lands hereinafter bounded and described and lying in Washington Territory, who for the purposes of this treaty are to be considered as one nation, under the name 'Yakama'…". (Treaty with the Yakama, 1855) The name was changed from Yakima to Yakama in 1994 to reflect the native pronunciation. The Columbia River Plateau is shown in green on this map. ... Lewis and Clark The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806), headed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, was the first United States overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back. ... The Wall Walla Council (1855) was a meeting in the Pacific Northwest between the United States and sovereign tribal bodies of the Cayuse, Nez Perce, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Yakama. ... The mid-nineteenth century found the Yakama Indians living along the Columbia and Yakima Rivers on the plateau in central Washington Territory, on land in the path of white settlement. ... The Palus tribe is one of twelve aboriginal tribes enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. ... The Klickitat (also spelled Klikitat) are a Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. ... Categories: Historical stubs | Washington history | U.S. historical regions and territories ...

Language

Yakama Indian Teepee -Edward Curtis collection - 1910

Yakama is a northwestern dialect of Sahaptin, a Sahaptian language of the Plateau Penutian family. In recent years there has been a concerted effort by some native speakers to use a traditional Yakama name for this language, which is "Ichishkíin Sínwit". This usage has been promoted by the tribal Cultural Resources program to supersede the word Sahaptin, which means "stranger in the land". ^[1] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (442x640, 39 KB) This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (442x640, 39 KB) This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... Sahaptin is a Sahaptian language (of the Plateau Penutian family) spoken in southern Washington and northern Oregon. ... Sahaptian is a group of languages of the Plateau Penutian family spoken by Native American peoples in the Columbia Plateau region of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the northwestern United States. ... Plateau Penutian languages Plateau Penutian (also Shahapwailutan) is a family of languages in spoken in northern California, reaching through central-western Oregon to northern Washington and central-northern Idaho. ...

References

• Treaty with the Yakama, 1855, Washington State Governor's Office of Indian Affairs. Accessed 12 Feb 2006.

1. ^ Beavert, Virginia and Hargus, Sharon (in preparation) Ichishkíin Sínwit. Yakima Sahaptin Bilingual Dictionary: Sahaptin-English and English-Sahaptin. Ms., University of Washington, 512 pp.

Further reading

• Helen H. Schuster (1990). The Yakima. Chelsea House. ISBN 1-55546-735-0. 
• Donald M. Hines (1992). Ghost Voices: Yakima Indian myths, legend, humor, and hunting stories. Great Eagle Pub. ISBN 0-9629539-2-X. 
• A. J. Splawn (1917). Ka-mi-akin, the last hero of the Yakimas. Kilham Stationery & Printing Co.. Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection

External links

• Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center
• Online Highway: Yakama Indian Nation
• Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission — member tribes include the Yakama
• Yakama Nation Legends Casino