Yakima (people)

Yakima , indigenous people of North America whose language belongs to the Sahaptin-Chinook branch of the Penutian linguistic stock (see Native American languages ). In the early 19th cent. they lived along the Columbia and Yakima rivers, in central Washington. They then numbered some 1,200. In 1855 an attempt by the United States to place the Yakima on a reservation in Washington resulted in war. Under a capable leader, Kamiakin, the Yakima fought until 1859, when they were subdued. Several other tribes subsequently joined them on the reservation there and were absorbed by the Yakima. The culture of the Yakima was of the Plateau area (see under Natives, North American ); they subsisted on salmon, roots, berries, and nuts. Today most live on the Yakima Reservation, where the main source of income is forestry. In 1990 there were over 7,500 Yakima in the United States.

Bibliography: See C. Relander, Strangers on the Land (1962).

Yakima Native North Americans of the Plateau culture, whose language belongs to the Sahaptin branch of the Penutian language group. In the early 19th century some 1,200 Yakima lived along the Columbia, Wenatchee and Yakima rivers in central Washington. In 1855 an attempt by the US government to force the Yakima onto a reservation resulted in war. Led by Kamiakin, the Yakima stoutly resisted for over three years, until suffering a decisive defeat at the Battle of Four Rivers. In 1859 they were placed on a reservation in Washington, where their descendants remain to this day.