The Cayuse Indians : imperial tribesmen of Old Oregon

Summary: "Before, during, and after the encroachment of white settlers, the Cayuse Indians were a powerful tribe, inhabiting a vast Pacific Northwest region between the Cascade and Rocky mountains. Today their community, now consisting of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla confederation of tribes, is growing stronger both economically and culturally." "One event in particular has been used to characterize the Cayuse people in popular literature - the 1847 killing of the Whitmans and their party at the mission at Waillatpu. Without knowledge of historical context, people have often come to erroneous conclusions concerning the tragic unfolding of events, which included the arrival of missionaries, a widespread pandemic, the slaying of the missionaries, and the hanging of the men known as the Cayuse Five." "The Cayuse "problem" was only partly solved in 1855 when the tribe signed a treaty ceding their lands and agreeing to permanent residence on the Umatilla reservation." "This expanded edition of The Cayuse Indians - the most detailed account of the Cayuse people in print - includes a new foreword and introduction, as well as a new appendix containing the transcript of the minutes of the 1855 Treaty Council at Walla Walla. The volume retains the text of the final treaty as it was ratified by the U.S. Congress in 1859, but readers can now gain new insights by noting the discrepancies between the Council minutes and the final document."--BOOK JACKET.