pLp.No!*23Y' McNARY RESERVOIR — SHINER 167 



"Cultural Eelations in the Plateau of Northwestern America." Eay 

 is quick to point out that the word "tribe" does not apply to the Plateau 

 until sometime after 1750 or 1800 because of the widespread local 

 autonomy. The boundaries shown on map 2 thus are more dialectical 

 than political. Although there are hints of movement and perhaps 

 migration in the Plateau just prior to 1800 they have not been worked 

 out(Teit,1928,p.98)., 



The groupings shown in map 2 are concerned with two languages, 

 Sahaptin and Interior Salish. The following are Sahaptin groups: 

 Tenino, Klickitat, Umatilla, Cayuse, Nez Perce, Yakima, Wallula, 

 Wanapam, Kittitas, and Palus. The Interior Salish include : Wenat- 

 chee, Columbia, Chelan, Methow, Okanogan, Nespelem and Sanpoil, 

 Spokane, Coeur D'Alene, Colville, Lakes, and Kalispel. 



At the present time there are not sufficient data to show significant 

 differences between one group and the next or between Sahaptin and 

 Salish. A few generalities can be made, however. The Sahaptins 

 apparently received influence from the Plains Area earlier and were 

 perhaps more receptive to it. The Umatilla were close allies to the 

 Nez Perce who in turn were in touch with such Plains tribes as the 

 Blackfoot. Through such contacts the Sahaptins learned of horses, 

 guns, tribal organization, war honors, and other typical traits of the 

 Plains Area. The Salish, without such direct contact, remained what 

 might be termed conservative. They were slower and more selective 

 in their borrowing. There are probably many other differences. There 

 is reason to believe that the Salish were better boatmen, there being 

 more water in the northeastern Plateau. Such things as Bear worship, 

 exposure of the dead, grooved mauls, and "potato masher" pestles 

 seem to be confined to the Salish tribes, just as head deformation, funer- 

 ary houses, stone fishing weights, and stone fetishes seem to be more 

 southerly centered. All of these traits could be studied fruitfully. 

 The distribution charts (see figures 31 to 40) cover only a few sites, for 

 only a few site reports have been published in the Plateau. 



Scientific research in the Plateau began with the Lewis and Clark 

 expedition of 1800 to 1806 (Thwaites, 1904-5, vol. 3) . Their journals 

 are full of ethnographic observations and factual reporting that 

 showed these explorers to be far ahead of their time. Lewis and Clark 

 saw only the southern part of the Plateau but recorded a most valuable 

 account of what they witnessed. 



Robert Stuart kept a diary of his travels but was not given to re- 

 cording many details. He may have been a keen observer but left 

 little in writing to preserve what he saw in 1812. A full account on 

 almost all parts of the Plateau as of 1832 can be found in Parker's 

 travelog (Parker, 1845). Despite the fact that he saw the Indians 

 through the eyes of a missionary intent on conversion, he gave excellent 



