The 1855 Yakama Nation Treaty stands as a pivotal, albeit complex and often controversial, agreement between the United States government and a confederation of Indigenous tribes and bands residing in what is now Washington State. Signed on June 9, 1855, at Camp Stevens in the Walla Walla Valley, this treaty, officially documented as 12 Stat., 951, underwent ratification on March 8, 1859, and was subsequently proclaimed law on April 18, 1859. It represents a significant moment in the history of the Pacific Northwest, shaping the landscape, the lives of Indigenous peoples, and the relationship between the United States and the Yakama Nation.
The negotiation of the 1855 Yakama Nation Treaty was spearheaded by Isaac I. Stevens, the Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Territory of Washington. Representing the Indigenous side were fourteen head chiefs, chiefs, head-men, and delegates from various bands. These bands, united for the purpose of the treaty, identified themselves under the collective name "Yakama," with Kamiakin recognized as their head chief. This confederation comprised the Yakama, Palouse, Pisquouse, Wenatchapam, Klickitat, Klingquit, Kow-was-say-ee, Li-was, Skin-pah, Wish-ham, Shyiks, Ocehchotes, Ka-milt-pah, and Se-ap-Cat tribes. Today, these diverse groups are collectively known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
The treaty’s primary objective, from the perspective of the United States government, was to acquire vast tracts of land occupied and claimed by these tribes and bands. Article 1 of the treaty outlines the geographical boundaries of the ceded territory, a sprawling expanse encompassing diverse landscapes. The description begins at Mount Rainier, tracing a northerly path along the Cascade Mountains to the headwaters of Lake Chelan and the Methow River. From there, the boundary extends southeasterly, following the divide between Lake Chelan and the Methow River until it reaches the Columbia River. Crossing the Columbia on an eastward trajectory, the line reaches a longitude of 119 degrees and 10 minutes, then proceeds southward to the 47th parallel of latitude. These lines delineated the separation between the Yakama confederation and the Oakinakane and Spokane tribes.
The boundary continues east along the 47th parallel to the Palouse River, then follows the river to its confluence with the Moh-hah-ne-she. A southeasterly direction leads to the Snake River at the mouth of the Tucannon River, marking the division between the Yakama confederation and the Nez Perce tribe. The boundary then traces the Snake River to its junction with the Columbia River, ascending the Columbia to the "White Banks" below Priest’s Rapids. From there, it proceeds westerly to a lake called "La Lac," then southerly to a point on the Yakama River known as Toh-mah-luke. A southwesterly direction connects to the Columbia River at the western extremity of "Big Island," situated between the mouths of the Umatilla River and Butler Creek. These final lines separated the Yakama confederation from the Walla-Walla, Cayuse, and Umatilla tribes. The boundary concludes by following the Columbia River to a point midway between the mouths of the White Salmon and Wind Rivers, then along the divide between these rivers to the main ridge of the Cascade Mountains, finally returning to the starting point at Mount Rainier. This extensive area, rich in natural resources and vital to the Yakama people, was ceded to the United States.
However, the 1855 Yakama Nation Treaty also recognized the inherent rights of the Yakama people, albeit within a framework designed to facilitate their assimilation and control. Article 2 establishes a reservation for the exclusive use and benefit of the confederated tribes and bands. This reserved land is defined by the following boundaries: beginning at the mouth of the Attah-nam River on the Yakama River, then proceeding westerly along the Attah-nam River to its forks. The boundary follows the southern tributary to the Cascade Mountains, then southward along the main ridge of the mountains, passing south and east of Mount Adams, to the spur where the Klickitat and Pisco Rivers originate. From there, it descends to the divide between the waters of these rivers, then along the divide separating the Satass River from those flowing into the Columbia River. The boundary continues along this divide to the main Yakama River, eight miles below the mouth of the Satass River, and finally ascends the Yakama River to the starting point. This reservation, intended to be surveyed and marked, was to serve as a protected area for the Yakama people.
The treaty stipulated that white settlers, with the exception of those employed by the Indian Department, were prohibited from residing on the reservation without the permission of the tribe, superintendent, and agent. The Yakama people were obligated to relocate to and settle upon the reservation within one year of the treaty’s ratification. During this transition period, they were permitted to reside on any land not actively claimed and occupied by U.S. citizens, or on claimed land with the owner’s permission. The treaty also guaranteed the right of U.S. citizens to settle on lands not currently occupied and cultivated by the Yakama and not included within the reservation. Furthermore, any substantial improvements made by Indigenous individuals, such as enclosed fields, cultivated lands, and houses erected on the ceded lands, were to be valued and compensated for in money or through equivalent improvements made on the reservation.
Article 3 addresses matters of public infrastructure and resource access. It allows for the construction of roads through the reservation if necessary for public convenience, while simultaneously securing the Yakama’s right of way with free access to the nearest public highway. The Yakama also retained the right to travel on all public highways in common with U.S. citizens. Crucially, the treaty affirmed the Yakama’s exclusive right to fish in all streams running through or bordering the reservation, as well as the right to fish at all usual and accustomed places in common with U.S. citizens. This included the privilege of erecting temporary buildings for curing fish. The Yakama also retained the right to hunt, gather roots and berries, and pasture their horses and cattle on open and unclaimed lands.
Article 4 outlines the financial compensation provided by the United States in exchange for the land cession. In addition to goods and provisions distributed at the time of signing, the U.S. government agreed to pay $200,000 to the confederated tribes and bands. Of this amount, $60,000 was to be spent in the first year after ratification, under the President’s direction, to facilitate the Yakama’s removal to the reservation, break up and fence farms, build houses, supply provisions and outfits, and for other necessary purposes. The remaining funds were to be distributed in annuities over a twenty-year period: $10,000 per year for the first five years, $8,000 per year for the next five years, $6,000 per year for the following five years, and $4,000 per year for the final five years. These funds were to be applied to the use and benefit of the Yakama people, under the President’s discretion, with the superintendent of Indian affairs consulting with the tribes regarding their wishes.
Article 5 details the establishment of educational and vocational institutions on the reservation. Within one year of ratification, the United States agreed to establish two schools, including an agricultural and industrial school at the agency, open to all Yakama children. The treaty also called for the construction of blacksmith shops, a carpenter’s shop, and a wagon and plough maker’s shop, all equipped with necessary tools. The United States was to employ superintendents, teachers, farmers, blacksmiths, a tinner, a gunsmith, a carpenter, and a wagon and plough maker to instruct the Yakama in trades and assist them in their work. Furthermore, a sawmill, a flouring-mill, a hospital, and buildings for the accommodation of the employees were to be erected and maintained. These establishments and employees were to be maintained for a period of twenty years.
Recognizing the significant role of the head chief, the United States agreed to pay the Yakama $500 per year for twenty years as a salary for the individual selected to serve in this position. A comfortable house was to be built for the head chief at a suitable location on the reservation, and ten acres of land were to be ploughed and fenced. The treaty explicitly acknowledged Kamiakin as the duly elected and authorized head chief of the Yakama Nation at the time of the treaty’s conclusion. All expenditures and expenses outlined in Article 5 were to be defrayed by the United States and were not to be deducted from the annuity payments.
Subsequent articles address various aspects of the relationship between the Yakama Nation and the United States government. Article 6 grants the President the authority to survey the reservation into lots and assign them to individual Yakama families who were willing to settle on them as permanent homes, following regulations similar to those established in the treaty with the Omahas. Article 7 stipulates that the annuities paid to the Yakama were not to be used to pay individual debts. Article 8 establishes the Yakama’s dependence on the U.S. government, requiring them to maintain friendly relations with U.S. citizens and refrain from committing depredations against their property. The treaty also outlines procedures for addressing violations of this pledge and resolving disputes with other tribes. Article 9 reflects the desire of the Yakama people to exclude ardent spirits from their reservation, authorizing the President to withhold annuities from individuals who brought liquor into or consumed liquor on the reservation. Finally, Article 10 reserves a township of six miles square at the forks of the Pisquous or Wanatshapam River, known as the "Wenatshapam Fishery," for the Yakama’s use, subject to the same provisions and restrictions as other Indian reservations.
The 1855 Yakama Nation Treaty represents a complex and multifaceted agreement that profoundly impacted the Yakama Nation and the history of the Pacific Northwest. While it ostensibly aimed to establish a peaceful coexistence between the Yakama people and the United States, it ultimately served as a tool for land acquisition and cultural assimilation, with lasting consequences for the Yakama Nation. The legacy of the 1855 Yakama Nation Treaty continues to be debated and reinterpreted as the Yakama Nation works to preserve its culture, assert its sovereignty, and address the historical injustices stemming from this pivotal agreement.