955-9. Ute encampment on the plains near Denver.
960-3. Camp scenes among the Utes at Los Pinos.
520. Group of Pe-ah and his head men.
VI. SAHAPTINS.
The Sahaptin family inhabit the country south of the Salish, between the Cascade and Bitter Root Mountains, reaching southward, in general terms, to the forty-fifth parallel, but very irregularly bounded by the Shoshone tribes of the California group. Of its nations, the Nez Percés, or Sahaptins proper, dwell on the Clearwater and its branches, and on the Snake about the forks. The Palouse occupy the region north of the Snake, about the mouth of the Palouse; the south banks of the Columbia and Snake, near their confluence, and the banks of the Lower Walla Walla, are occupied by the Walla Wallas. The Yakimas and Klikelats inhabit the region north of the Dalles, between the Cascade Range and the Columbia. The natives of Oregon, east of the Cascade Range, who have not usually been included in the Sahaptin family, are divided somewhat arbitrarily into the Wascoes, extending from the mountains eastward to John Day River, and the Cayuses from this river across the Blue Mountains to the Grande Ronde.
1. NEZ PERCÉS.
The Nez Percés, or the Sahaptin proper, inhabit Idaho and portions of Oregon and Washington. They style themselves Numepo, but Lewis and Clarke called them the Chopunnish. The origin of their present name is buried in obscurity. Early in the present century they were estimated to number 8,000; and in 1836, when a mission was established among them, about 4,000. In the Oregon Indian war most of the tribe remained friendly and did effective service for the whites on a number of occasions. In 1854 a treaty was made ceding part of their lands, but only a portion of the tribe recognizing it, led to a separation, one party becoming wandering hunters, while the other remained on the reservations.
"Of the 2,800 Nez Percés now living, nearly half located on the Kamiah and Lapwai reservations in northern Idaho, and a few others settled on lands outside the reserve, are prosperous farmers and stock-growers. The rest are 'non-treaties,' who, with other non-treaty Indians in that region, make every exertion to induce the reservation Indians to lease their farms and join them in their annual hunting and root-gathering expeditions."
Early in the summer of the present year troubles arose in regard to the occupancy of the Wallowa Valley by white settlers, it having been withdrawn in 1875 from the reservation assigned them by treaty in 1873, from a failure on their part to permanently occupy it. An Indian, belonging to a band of malcontents or non-treaties under the Chief Joseph, was killed by some settlers, when they insisted upon the removal of all the whites and the restitution of the valley to them. Upon the refusal of the Government to this demand, and further attempts to compel all the non-treaty Indians to come into the reservation at Lapwai, an outbreak occurred under the leadership of Joseph, which resulted in a number of pitched battles, with great loss of life, but were compelled to retreat, the forces under General Howard pursuing them eastwardly across the headwaters of the Snake River and through the Yellowstone National Park, where the pursuit was taken up by the forces under General Terry, resulting finally in the capture of Joseph and the remainder of his force by General Miles.
List of illustrations.