Yakima War - Background

Background

In the mid-19th Century the Yakama Indians lived along the Columbia and Yakima Rivers on the plateau north of the Columbia, on the inland side of the Cascade Range. In addition to long-standing relations with neighbouring tribes, they also had a long-established trade relationship with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), based out of Forts Vancouver, Walla Walla and Okanagan dating back to the first trade with whites via the traders of the North West Company (which was later absorbed into the HBC). The Cayuse and Yakama and other peoples of the region, all former clients of the HBC and friendly with the "King George" (British) and "Pasiooks" (French Canadian/Metis) traders of the Hudson's Bay, found themselves facing different attitudes and policies for dealing with aboriginal peoples. With the added pressure of an impending flood of settlers, this led to conflicts throughout the former Oregon Country.

In May and June 1855, Isaac Stevens, the first governor of the newly formed Washington Territory, and Joel Palmer, Superintendent of the Oregon Territory, enacted three treaties at the Walla Walla Council (1855). The Walla Walla, the Umatilla and the Cayuse tribes were coerced to move from 4,000,000 acres (16,000 km2) of tribal lands to a reservation in northeastern Oregon. Over time, this was reduced down to 95,000 acres (380 km2). In the second treaty, fourteen different tribal groups agreed to go onto the Yakama Indian Reservation, giving up a combined 29,000 square miles (75,000 km2) of land. Under the third treaty, the Nez Perce were confined to a reservation that included parts of southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and west-central Idaho.

The same year gold was discovered on the recently established Yakama reservation, and conflict erupted between encroaching white miners and tribes of the Plateau. The tribes eventually united together under the leadership of Yakama chief Kamiakin, marking the start of the Yakima War.