When explorers and traders moved west across the United States in the 1800s, they found many nations of American Indians already living in the Plateau region near the Columbia River. These nations had their own languages and governments, and they were experts at living in this land surrounded by mountains and filled with rivers. • The Nez Perce could catch salmon with their bare hands. • The Modoc wore woven skullcap basket hats. • The Kootenai made paintings on huge rocks and cliffs using red ocher and fish eggs. Many Plateau Indians still live in this region. They work in a variety of industries, from fishing and logging to hospitality. Read more about the history and culture of the native peoples of the Plateau.

Presents eighty photos of Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Cayuse Indians from the Columbia River Plateau taken by Major Moorhouse, an Indian agent and amateur photographer who served the Pacific Northwest territory. Simultaneous.

An introduction to the history, dwellings, artwork, religious beliefs, clothing, and food of the various Native American tribes of the Plateau Region between the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains.

Fusing myriad primary and secondary sources, historian Larry Cebula offers a compelling master narrative of the impact of Christianity on the Columbian Plateau peoples in the Pacific Northwest from 1700 to 1850. ø For the Native peoples of the Columbian Plateau, the arrival of whites was understood primarily as a spiritual event, calling for religious explanations. Between 1700 and 1806, Native peoples of the Columbian Plateau experienced the presence of whites indirectly through the arrival of horses, some trade goods by long-distance exchange, and epidemic diseases that decimated their population and shook their faith in their religious beliefs. Many responded by participating in the Prophet Dance movement to restore their frayed links to the spirit world. ø When whites arrived in the early nineteenth century, the Native peoples of the Columbian Plateau were more concerned with learning about white people's religious beliefs and spiritual power than with acquiring their trade goods; trading posts were seen as windows into another world rather than sources of goods. The whites? strange appearance and seeming immunity to disease and the unique qualities of their goods and technologies suggested great spiritual power to the Native peoples. But disillusionment awaited: Catholic and Protestant missionaries came to teach the Native peoples about Christianity, yet these white spiritual practices failed to protect them from a new round of epidemic disease. By 1850, with their world devastatingly altered, most Plateau Indians had rejected Christianity

Profiles the culture, customs, religious practices and life style of several native American tribes of the Northwest plateau. Discusses the history, culture, religious beliefs, and daily life of the Indians that lived in the Northwest plateau.

Plateau Indians, from the new 10-volume set Native America, tells the history and culture of the Plateau Indians. This book begins with a brief set introduction that discusses some of the broad history and themes found throughout the Plateau Indian culture, as well as explains the concept of culture areas to students. Narrative text of the chapters is interspersed with numerous box features that highlight important people, events, and topics, as well as sidebars. This book also includes a timeline, a list of museums and sites related to these tribes, further reading, and an index.