414 
INDIAN TRIBES OP WASHINGTON TERRITORY. 
become extinct, and their places were filled by people from the adjoining bands. The smallpox 
had as yet made no great inroads on this band; its general course seemingly having been up the 
eastern side of the Columbia. One case had, however, occurred at the time of our arrival. On 
the route from Fort Colville to Wallah-Wallah the party passed the old Chernakane mission, the 
former station of Messrs. Walker and Eels. The house was still standing, and occupied by an 
American. This is the country of the Spokanes, who are next to be noticed. 
The Spokehnish, or Spokanes, lie south of the Schwoyelpi, and chiefly upon or near the 
Spokane river. The name applied by the whites to a number of small bands, is that given by the 
Coeur d’Alenes to the one living at the forks. They are also called Sinkoman by the Kootenaies. 
These bands are eight in number: the Sin-slik-hoo-ish, on the great plain above the crossings of 
the Coeur d’Alene river; the Sintootoolish, on the river above the forks; the Sma-hoo-men-a-ish, 
(Spokenish.) at the forks; the Skai-schil-t’nish, at the old Chernakane mission; the Ske-chei-a- 
mouse, above them on the Colville trail; the Schu-el-stish; the Sin-poil-schne, and Sin-spee-lish, 
on the Columbia river; the last-named band is nearly extinct. The Sin-poil-schne (N’pochele, 
or Sans Puelles) have already been included among the Okinakanes, though, as well as the Sin- 
spee-lish below them, they are claimed by the Spokanes. The three bands on the Columbia all 
speak a different language from the rest. Most of the Indians, at the time of our visit, were 
absent on their hunt, and we had no opportunities of estimating their number by inspection. 
Judging from those that we saw, and the information received from various sources, they probably 
amount, excluding those enumerated at Okinakane, to four hundred and fifty. They were a wilder- 
looking race than the tribes to the westward. The men are generally spare, even when young, 
and soon become withered. 
Their principal chief is Spokane Garry, whose name was bestowed upon him by Governor 
Sir George Simpson, by whom he was sent, when about twelve years old, to the Red river for 
education, where he spent five years. Garry is now about forty-two years of age, is very intel¬ 
ligent, and speaks English fluently. He bears an excellent character, and is what he claims to 
be, and what few are among these tribes, a chief. Of petty chiefs there are, besides, an abun¬ 
dance, each band having two or three. Garry himself accompanied us to the forks of the Spo¬ 
kane, where his band usually reside. A few lodges, chiefly of old men and women, were there 
at the time. His own, in neatness and comfort, was far beyond any we had seen. His family 
were dressed in the costume of the whites, which in fact now prevails over their own. Many of. 
the Spokanes, besides their intercourse with the fort, visit the American settlements, where they 
earn money by occasional work, most of which is spent in clothing, blankets, &c. The chief 
offered us the hospitality of his house with much cordiality—a cup of tea or coffee and bread. 
The “ Spokane House,” which is a landmark upon all the maps of this country, was an old 
Hudson’s Bay fort, situated at his village, but has long since been destroyed. 
This tribe claim as their territory the country commencing on the large plain at the head of the 
Slawntehus—the stream entering the Columbia at Fort Colville; thence down the Spokane to 
the Columbia, down the Columbia half-way to Fort Okinakane, and up the Spokane and Coeur 
d’Alene, to some point between the falls and the lake, on the latter. There is in this direction a 
question of boundary between them and the Coeur d’Alenes, which appears to be as complicated 
as some of those between more civilized nations No resort to arms has, however, occurred, and 
the territory continues under joint occupation. An additional source of coolness between them 
arises from a difference in religion—the Spokanes being Protestants, or of the “American reli¬ 
gion,” and the Coeur d’Alenes Catholics. The latter taunt the former as heretics, whose faith is 
worthless. Garry narrated to us the evils arising from this state of feeling, with a forbearance 
and Christian spirit of toleration which would have honored any one. This tribe have at present 
no missionary among them, but they seem to have been consistent to what they learned under 
the tuition of Messrs. Walker and Eels, of the Chernakane mission. The country of the Spo- 
