Yakama
Nation / Tribe

Yakama

The Yakama were a Sahaptian-speaking people who occupied the Yakima River valley and adjacent areas of present-day south-central Washington, ranging from the eastern slopes of the Cascades to the Columbia River. Lewis and Clark encountered bands associated with the Yakama during the downstream journey on the Columbia in October 1805, observing large fishing camps and communities dependent on the great salmon runs. The Yakama were part of the broader Plateau cultural complex, practicing a seasonal subsistence round of salmon fishing, root gathering (especially camas and bitterroot), and upland hunting, and they maintained extensive trade connections with both coastal and interior peoples.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia: Yakama

3 treaties 8 total items 3 mapped locations

Most Mentioned in Yakama-tagged Entries

People

  1. Clark (1)

Wildlife

  1. salmon (1)
Columbia River
Columbia River
Columbia River
Explore the historic Columbia River Trail in Boardman, Oregon - a 73-mile waterway journey featuring dramatic river views, wildlife habitats, and Lewis & Clark historical sites along the Pacific Northwest.
73.3 mi · 5,892 images · Boardman, OR

Cross-Narrator Analyses

Analyses that cite or discuss Yakama — showing 1 of the most recent matches.

From the Heacock Memorial Archive

2 lewis-clark.org articles that mention Yakama, preserved here for Robert Heacock’s photography. The articles were written by that site’s contributing authors.

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