Yakama << YAK uh mah >> are a Native American people of central Washington. Their traditional homeland stretches across the Columbia Plateau from the Cascade Mountains to the Yakima River, which is named after them.
The Yakama’s traditional diet included deer, elk, fish, fruit, and other gathered edible plants. In summer, small bands of Yakama moved often to hunt, fish, and gather food. They lived in small, temporary camps. Yakama fishermen built platforms near waterfalls or rapids on the Columbia River. From these, they caught salmon in long-handled nets. In winter, the Yakama gathered in villages located in valleys. The valleys provided shelter from storms and cold winds. The Yakama constructed rectangular houses from mats of woven grasses supported with wooden poles.
The Lewis and Clark expedition met the Yakama people in 1805 (see Lewis and Clark expedition ). American settlers soon moved into the region. The Yakama resisted the United States government’s efforts to move them onto a reservation, land that is set aside for a tribe by treaty. But in 1855, the Yakama were forced to cede (give up) their traditional lands to the United States. In 1859, they joined 13 smaller groups on the Yakama Reservation in southwestern Washington. Together, these groups are known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The reservation has its own tribal government and flag. Today, most Yakama live on or around the reservation.
