Yakama

• CATEGORY: Tribe
• CULTURE AREA: Plateau
• LANGUAGE GROUP: Sahaptian
• PRIMARY LOCATION: Washington State
• POPULATION SIZE: 7,850 (1990 US Census) 30,209 (Yakama Nation Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, WA; 2019-2023 American Community Survey)

The Yakama people—whose name was officially changed from Yakima in 1994—traditionally inhabited the Columbia Basin Plateau of central Washington. They are a Plateau Indigenous people belonging to the Sahaptian language group, and their traditional language, Ichishkíin, is one of several Sahaptin dialects. Many scholars believe that evidence of human settlement in the Columbia Basin dates back 15,000 years. The Yakama were first introduced to European Americans with the arrival of the Meriwether Lewis and William Clark expedition in 1805.

Although this was the first direct contact the Yakama had with White people, European American culture had already touched Yakama society, as they were already using horses, and other trade goods were evident. Scholars estimate the introduction of the horse at about 1730. The tribe that would be referred to as the Yakama was probably composed of other Plateau Indians, such as the Nez Percé and the Palouse (Palus).

The land that they inhabited was arid. Subsistence patterns consisted of hunting, fishing, and gathering berries and roots, particularly camas. Fishing continues to be pursued today. In the early 1990s, the Yakama were involved in a lawsuit with various irrigators along the Yakima River over water rights.

After the first contact with White people, fur traders and missionaries crossed the Columbia Basin. In 1855, the Yakama were subjected to treaty negotiations with Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens, in which they conceded their claim of approximately ten million acres in the Columbia Basin. The Yakama, who were one of the few nations to be ascribed the status of a sovereign nation—hence their title Yakama Nation—were granted 1,250,000 acres on what would be the Yakama Reservation. By the early twentieth century, almost half a million acres (about 202,000 hectares) had been lost through the provisions of the General Allotment Act, although the Yakama Nation recovered part of this acreage later in the century. The reservation included traditional lands. In addition to the Yakama, members of the Klickitat Nation moved to the reservation. Dissatisfaction with the treaty grew, however, fueled by the continued traffic of White people across reservation lands, resulting in the Yakama War of 1855.

Although the Yakama fared well in the initial fighting, internal dissension erupted, caused in part by hostility toward the Yakama leader, Kamiakin, whose father was Palouse. American troops won the war in 1856, and the Yakama were forced to accept the terms of the Yakama Treaty, which had been signed by the fourteen Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation on June 9, 1855. The treaty was ratified in 1859. Life on the reservation was difficult for the Confederated Tribes throughout the nineteenth century. The Yakama were subjected to Agent James Wilbur, a Methodist minister who believed that the future of the Indigenous people lay in their ability to convert to Christianity and learn farming. The Yakama also had to sustain land losses through allotment. Yet, traditional practices continued.

The tribal government that exists today was organized in 1935 and includes a tribal council with fourteen members. During the last half of the twentieth century, the Yakama pursued claims filed with the Indian Claims Commission for either the return of traditional lands or, in place of land, a financial settlement. They have been successful with some of the claims and have received awards in both land and money. Other legal matters include water rights claims on the Yakima River for fishing and irrigation interests.

In the late twentieth century, the reservation’s economy relied on farming, grazing, and limited industry. Traditional Yakama culture is still valued and maintained, as evidenced by the persistence of Yakama religious practices and cultural celebrations.

Bibliography

Beavert, Virginia, et al. Anakú Iwachá: Yakama Legends and Stories. 2nd ed., U of Washington P, 2021.

"Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation." Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, 2025, critfc.org/member-tribes-overview/the-confederated-tribes-and-bands-of-the-yakama-nation. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

"First Chief of the Yakama Nation 1856-1861." Yakama Nation, www.yakama.com/about. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

"Yakama Nation Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, WA." My Tribal Area, U.S. Department of Commerce, www.census.gov/tribal/?st=53&aianihh=4690. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.