Chief Kamiakin
Kamiakin | |
---|---|
Washington | |
Died | 1877 , Washington |
Occupation | Tribal leader |
Known for | Leading resistance against encroaching settlers |
Kamiakin (1800–1877) (Yakama) was a leader of the
Finally defeated, Kamiakin escaped to British Columbia and Montana. He returned to his traditional homeland in 1860. He moved to his father's former territory at Rock Lake in Whitman County, Washington in 1864, where he lived until his death.
Early life
Kamiakin was of mixed Nez Perce, Spokane and Yakama ancestry. His father Ki-yi-yah was the son of a Nez Perce father and a Spokane mother. His mother was Yakama.
In 1825 Kamiakin married Sal-kow, also a Yakama, whose father Te-i-as and grandfather Weowikt were leaders in the tribe.[1] Kamiakin later married Colestah, also a Yakama.
Yakama War
In 1855 Isaac Stevens, the new Washington Territory governor, was anxious to extinguish claims to traditional lands by regional tribes and free up Native American land for sale to European Americans, who would develop it in recognized ways. He threatened leaders of several tribes to remove the Natives by force from the area east of the Cascades and bordering the Columbia River if they did not sell their lands. He thought that the most reasonable strategy was to gather many other tribes.
Kamiakin, a leader of the Yakama, began to organize immediately, allying with
In 1855 Kamiakin convened a council in Eastern
Kamiakin led a band of warriors into the first engagement of the war and on October 4 and 5, 1855, he defeated a force of 84 soldiers led by Major Haller near Simcoe Valley. Kamiakin was also instrumental in the final battle of the war. On September 5, 1858, Colonel George Wright, with a force of 700 soldiers, defeated Kamiakin and his warriors at the Battle of Four Lakes.[4] Kamiakin was wounded in the battle when he was struck by a pine tree felled by cannon fire.
Colestah is reported to have saved her husband from capture by the U.S. soldiers. In the end, Kamiakin was the only leader who refused to surrender, escaping to
Final years
In 1860, Kamiakin returned to his home on the
The day before he died (sometime in 1877), Kamiakin was baptized a Catholic and given the name "Matthew."
Places named after Kamiakin
There are at least five schools in Washington state named for Kamiakin:
- Chief Kamiakin Elementary School in Sunnyside
- Kamiakin High School in Kennewick
- Kamiakin Junior High in Kirkland
- Kamiak High School in Mukilteo
- Kamiak Elementary in Pullman, Washington
In addition, Kamiak Butte and Kamiakin's Gardens are named for him. The latter is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Northeast Kamiaken Street - Pullman, WA
Kamiakin Trail - Fairchild AFB, WA
North Kamiakin Trail Lane - Colbert, WA
East Kamiakin Ave - Liberty Lake, WA
Kamiakin Road - Wapato, WA
Kamiakin Road - Ellensburg, WA
See also
- Qualchan, nephew of Kamiakin
Notes
References
- -- Historylink.org essay 5285 "Saint Joseph's Mission at Ahtanum Creek is founded in the Yakima Valley on April 3, 1852", History Link
- -- Historylink.org essay 5288 First irrigation ditch in the Yakima Valley is dug at the Saint Joseph Mission in 1852.
- "The Treaty Trail: US-Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest", Washington History Online
- Dockstader, Frederick J. "Kamaiakin," IN Great North American Indians: Profiles in Life and Leadership. New York : Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1977 (OCLC 3167970)
- Mooney, James. "Kamaiakan" IN Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico Washington : G.P.O., 1907–1910, vol. 1 (OCLC 26478613)
- Ruby, Robert H. "Kamiakin" IN American national biography New York : Oxford University Press, 1999, vol. 12 (OCLC 39182280)
- Splawn, A.J. Ka-mi-akin, Last Hero of the Yakimas, Portland, OR: Kilham Stationery & Printing Co., 1917 (OCLC 1086645)
- Trafzer, Clifford. "Kamiakin" IN Encyclopedia of North American Indians, New York : Houghton Mifflin Co., 1996 (OCLC 34669430)
- Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
External links
- Works by or about Chief Kamiakin at Internet Archive
- Chief Kamiakin (ca. 1800-1877) at HistoryLink
- Kamiakin: Head Chief of the Yakamas
- Kamiakin and the Yakima Indian War of 1855
- Thomson, Duane (1990). "Pandosy, Charles". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XII (1891–1900) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.; on his interactions with Chief Kamiakin
- Gold in the Northwest -- A Snapshot History