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Elijah Hedding
Once upon a time there was a little Indian boy called Toayanu, who was the son of the Wallawalla Great Chief Peupeumoxmox and a Cayuse princess, sister of Cayuse Head Chiefs 5 Crows and Tauwatway.
Toayanu father and mother were Cayuse Indians and his father had been chosen by the Wallawalla Indians to be their Head Tribal Chief and their highest Great Chief over all the Wallawalla Nation of 7 Tribes. Toayanu was in line to be the next Great Chief after his father.
His people the desert plateau pony Indians, lived in the village of Wallawalla near the mouth of the Walla Walla River and the Columbia River, and were called WallawallapaHms. Wallawalla meaning many waters and paHm meaning people.
He was his father's pride and joy and constant companion, learning the old ways of their ancestors and the new ways of the white men, so he could one day take his rightful place in succession. The Wallawalla had much love and hope for the future in this young boy to lead them.
: His large extended family lived in a long 80 foot tule mat lodge and because his father was older and had several wives, Toayanu had brothers and sisters older and younger then he.
Being the Great Chief, his father had many visitors, so their lodge was also used for dinners, as a gathering place, councils and religious services. Many travelers, red and white came and went thru their village.
His people lived on the desert plateau in a very hot, very dry and very cold country, that was covered in sand, sage and tall bunchgrass. The luxurious bunchgrass was good nutritious food for their many Indian ponies called "cayuses". Being pony Indians his People were very rich and welldressed. Their wealth was in their ponies and they had thousands around their village as far as the eye could see in all directions. His father was a very rich man and had several thousands cayuses himself and other horses and cattle. The baby ponies wandered around camp and walked right inside their lodges. Everyone loved the babies, especially the children who played with them. The Wallawalla loved the black and white ponies best of all and
under his father's guidance they became very rich in ponies, cattle and prosperous farmers.
Toayanu on his pony loved to race about the desert land running full out feeling free with the wind blowing in his face and very much alive. When they were not racing about, Toayanu liked to ride standing up on pony's back. It was a lot of fun to do and he could see a long way away.
To hunt the buffalo their ponies had to be welltaught and the buffalo hunters and the warrior boys spent long hours training their ponies to do the job required of them. Some boys were hunters, some boys were warriors and their ponies had to be trained to follow instructions for either.
Toayanu was to be a warrior like his father and he and his war ponies practiced many hours with the other warriors in mock battles, that they performed for their watching audience. The Wallawalla were known as being great warriors in battle and they practiced long hours to keep that reputation.
Living beside the Wallawalla River, the children had fun playing in the water and racing their ponies up and down the banks splashing about while their many dogs raced round and round making lots of noice, as the children blew on willow whistles. Their ponies and dogs were as madcap as the children and seemed to have as much fun.
Because they were hard working people, for everyday they wore simple plain deerskin clothing and because their clothing became stained, dirty, greasy or worn out, they were plain and unadorned with little or no ornaments. If they received company or had a religious fest, Toayanu could dress in white skin shirt with red quilled decorated leggings, red toed moccasins. Mother was dressed the same in long white dress, and painted her face red all over. They wore no decoration in their hair as they believed their crowning glory was their hair and they liked it long, full and free swinging, also their ponies mane and tail.
They were very religious people and believed very strongly in the Creator and Mother Earth. Each year around March 17 Vernal Equinox they had a religious fest for the people to come worship "The Two Sisters", their sacred rocks "Cayuse Girls" and their supernatural god of good and evil the"Wolf ". Many people from other tribes also believing in the two sisters and wolf came to worship at Wallawalla and pray for the coming of a bountiful new year. (the red people new year began with March 21, vernal equinox or when a light came thru an opening).
Since Wallawalla was the crossroads, it was also the communcation center. The children learned to read and write hieroglyphics on skin, bark, sand, rock. They wrote with charcoal stick, or picked characters or painted on rocks. Because there were different tribal languages and dialects, they learned sign language and 4-5 different Indian languages.
Toayanu was to learn the white man's Christian religion, so his father took him by canoe down the Columbia River to Jason Lee's Wallamut Mission school, Willamette River. Here he learned the ways of the white man. He learned to read, write, speak English, learn Christian prayers, hymns and the art of agriculture. He was a bright, capable lad of 11 years, very devout and long suffering, was dedicated to his studies. He didn't think he would ever be able to understand the Christian religion and spent many nights studying. He was then able to communicate with whites.
The missionaries were very pleased with him, baptizing him with the new name "Elijah Hedding" after Bishop Elijah Hedding.
He returned to help at Whitman Mission and held religious services amongst his people, who were much taken by this young lad and saw great promise in him as their future leader.
There was in olden time when Indians would come together for the Great Council in the Cayuse Wallawalla Valley. Here many different Tribes came from near and far to talk business, visit, trade, sing and dance, race ponies, have sporting contests and much fun. The whole valley was filled with a multitude of ponies, people and lodges.
In late October after the crops were all in and festivals over and their thanksgiving for a bountiful year or if the year not too good, they gave thanks that it was not any worse. The Indians gave thanks for the good or the bad. They humbled themselves and tried to do better.
The Wallawallapam then went to their winter home near Priest Rapids. Here they wintered in a warmer, less severe winter. When it got bitter cold, the big River Columbia (Nichiwana) froze solid, then they lived in a earthen home 8 feet deep, covered with poles and mud grass, with pole ladder opening. When the weather became warmer they again lived in their tule mat lodges.
In late February, they returned to their Wallawalla River Camp and the new year cycle began all over again. A new year to keep body and soul together on the desert plateau
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1841 - Charles Wilkes
"Peupeumoxmox and brother-in-law Tauwatway are going to California to trade for blankets, powder, balls, trinkets, beads in exchange for their ponies and furs. The Chief's fathers, fathers, fathers had ridden the ancient Klamath trail south in trade. The Indians are wellarmed, wearing buckskin pants, Hudson Bay blanket coats, blue French hats and red quilled toed moccasins, armed with guns, bows, arrows, knives.
The horse Indians dress in worn out European clothing and show their free and easy riding style in a flaunting kind of air. They manifest a self esteem that is very pleasing and have an independence in good keeping with their own way of life. They inspire a great deal of respect and admiration on their ponies, off their ponies they loose this gallant air.
I spoke to the Indian boy Elijah in English and had no trouble understanding him. He said Hudson Bay refused to sell the Indians powder and ball as they had become turbulent and quarrelsome.
The Wallawalla Chief possesses great authority over all the Tribes. He has a very determined personality in getting his way and has considerable power over these other Tribes".
1841 - 1842 - Joseph Williams
"We crossed Utalla(Umatilla)River in canoe and swam horses. Indians helped us across and we gave them tobacco.
About 20 Indians stayed with us part of the night and I sung and prayed with them, exhorted them to turn to the Lord. A young boy by the name Elijah, could talk English, had obtained religion and was my interpreter. Indians seemed much effected and were very friendly.
Reached the Wallawalla Indian encampment where we lodged. Next day we traveled over rich green prairie and saw beautiful droves of Indian ponies. That night we reached Whitman Mission of Skyuse Indians.
At Mission it is a beautiful prairie, but no timber, just cottonwoods and greenery along the many streams.
Left Mission and crossed Utalla River and passed Chief Tauwatway farm.
We camped 6 miles from River, here were the prettiest bands of Indian ponies I ever saw in my life. Many Indians had 400 -500 head each and the plains were covered with green grass".
1843 - Rev. H. Perkins - Minister
Rev. Perkins was to tell the Wallawalla and Cayuse of a coming council to be held with Indians, to bring new laws.
Perkins found Tauwatway, Yellowbird and 5 Crows at head of Utalla(Umatilla)River. Tauwatway was catholic, 5 Crows protestant and Yellowbird didn't show as much evidence in any conversion. Yellowbird's son was with him and had received the new name of Elijah Hedding and spoke English language and strongly professed Christianity.
Supper was dried salmon, after which a prayer service was proposed by Elijah. They sang a hymn, Perkins gave a prayer, followed by Elijah, who then requested his father to give a prayer, which he did. After prayers, they sang another hymn.
Perkins was put into Yellowbird's lodge. Having gotten wet his blanket on the trip there, Yellowbird taking his own blanket from his shoulders, gave it to Perkins, saying he had no extra blanket, but he would make Perkins comfortable.
Wrapped in Yellowbird's blanket, Perkins was soon asleep.
Ft.Sutter - Sacramento,California
In May of 1845, James Clyman was asked to carry some documents between The Dalles and Sacramento on the killing of Elijah Hedding by Grover Cook at Ft. Sutter. In a quarrel over a darn mule, that had been captured from some California robber Indians. Grover Cook was a notorious Indian killer with little provocation.
Mr. J.A. Sutter wrote in July 21, 1845 - - - - The following was put in story form.
"When the Wallawalla Indians arrived, Peupeumoxmox and son Elijah, along with some Cayuse and Spokanee, with other Chiefs amounting to 36 men, with their women and children, making around 200 in all".
(Sutter had met these Indians previously, when he passed thru Oregon Country).
"I received these Indians well with great hospitality and gave them good advice how to behave themselves and permission to hunt within my jurisdiction and no further, to supply their present bodily needs. Last winter they were camped nearby the Fort and I had many complaints against them, but Peupeumoxmox said it was not his Indians, but the California troublemakers.
(The California Indians had camped near the Fort for couple winters. They had a bad troublesome boy who had killed one of his own people and on their way from Fort Sutter to San Joaquin, California he would have shot another of his people if the gun had not been taken from him.
This is who Sutter thought was Elijah.
Grover Cook was the one amongst others, who complained heavily against the Wallawalla Indians for their troublesome ways.
Peupeumoxmox said they had only come to trade for cattle, not to make trouble, and wanted to hunt for winter food.
During their hunting in the mountains, they were attacked themselves by the troublesome California Indian robbers wanting the Wallawalla horses, and fighting them off, the California were up against the Wallawalla fighting Indians and the robbers ran off leaving their horses and mules behind.
Peupeumoxmox said they drove the horses and mules back to their camp as spoils of war, not knowing the animals were stolen goods.
When some of the men at the Fort recognized their own animal, they told the Wallawalla to return them. Peupeumoxmox said that they had been gotten thru normal means and it was not their way or custom to return spoils of war.
Grover Cook wanted his mule back and could prove the mule was his.
Cook went to the Indian camp, but Indians wouldn't give it back and were arguing.
It was said, Elijah had acted saucy, haughty and independent of others, waving a gun, centered on Cook and told Cook to take it when he was brave enough.
Sutter told all concerned to come to his office in his home, that the Indians were to bring the horses with them that didn't belong to them and they would talk things over and come to some agreement, that the Wallawalla were entitled to some compensation for catching the animals, for their trouble in fighting the robbers.
The Wallawalla refused to give up the horses as it was their rule to keep spoils. Sutter explained to them that the law didn't see it that way and they were to bring the horses and give -them-up!
Sutter had to leave his office to take care of some business for half hour.
There was a bitter argument and heavy quarreling between the Indians and whites, especially Cook and Elijah. The whites kept menacing the Indian for things they had not done, but California Indians had.
Elijah had called Cook a liar when he said the Wallawalla were all the trouble. Cook called the Indians bad names and Indians had gotten very indignant when they were called filthy or dirty dogs. It was a very high insult to call THESE Indians filthy dogs, and they were bitterly arguing.
When Cook took out his gun, he said to Elijah, yesterday you were going to shot me, today I am going to shot you. Elijah said if Cook was going to shot him, to give him a moment to pray, and when he was kneeling praying, Cook shot him deliberately in cold blood.
Sutter returned to his office to find Cook had killed Elijah in the presence of 15 foreigners, and the Indians and Chiefs who had then fled the scene immediately as fast as they could, out the door and out the Fort. They did not return and did not bring back the horses.
The Indians moved camp and travelled fast the whole night. Sutter sent 30 armed men after them, but they could not overtake them and lost their tracks. The Indians were encamped about 100 miles from Ft. Sutter for several days.
The Indians all had a few head of cattle, to receive from Sutter in payment of leather pants, buffalo robes, rifles and curiosity's items they traded for the cattle. Orders have been left at the Feather River Farm for them to collect their cattle. This is all they left and they may collect them at anytime".
Dr. White says that Elijah who Sutter called Leicer was by no means viciously inclined, but we all believe here at Fort Sutter that Leicer was a great rascal.
Spokane Garry account of incident
"The bullets were wizzing around him and Cayuse Tauwatway, hitting and ricocheting off the walls and the Indians all ran as fast as they could for the door".
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The killing of their future Great Chief To Be, sent off an uproar in the Wallawalla Valley Indians and surrounding Tribes and the whole countryside was in sorrow and mourning, as the death drums were heard across the land, resounding far and wide. The boy's death would surface again in the narrations of the Cayuse War and the Battle of Walla Walla.
Marcus Whitman - Whitman Mission, Wallawalla Valley
"A fine young man, educated by Jason Lee at Wallamut Mission, he was very pius, well behaved to others. A young man who had alot of promise and who his father was very proud of.
The drums and mourning chants could be heard throughout the valley from the Wallawalla camp, from the top of Mission Hill in Cayuse land, the drums continually pound. The Indians have caused much trouble about revenge and the father has become a grieving bitter bereaved man. The Indians could have humbled themselves without severe punishment. A fight over horses! Father induced tragic. The Indians acknowledge that Elijah is gone, but can not accept the fact of it".
When Indians returned with the news of Elijah the whole valley was filled with sorrow pounding of many, many drums and the sobbing wail of the women. The whole Indian Nation in bitter sorrow and hatred for the white man.
All the Tribes felt they had lost a very important accomplished educated lad who was to lead them in the future.
A grieving and embittered father never got over the loss of his beloved Elijah, who was his pride and joy and constant companion. This would weight heavily on the Chief when he found out that the murderer American Cook was not to be punished for his premeditated crime.
During the rest of 1845, letters were being sent between the Consulate, Dr. Elijah White and other officials concerning the Hedding affair, but nothing came of it and Cook was never even tried, although it would cause alot of hard feelings on the Indian part.
1845 - Dr. Elijah White, Indian Agent to California official, telling of the killing of Elijah Hedding.
"Elijah Hedding was an educated and accomplished Young Chief. American Grover Cook shot him dead instantly through the head and heart while he was praying. The Indians say they were all cut off by the Americans who brought out firearms and hotly pursued them, trying to prevent the Indians escape by checking their passage out the door. But at length the Indians reached safety, leaving their trade goods behind in their flight. The surrounding Indians here (Oregon country) are very angry with their tragic loss and are talking of raising a large army of their combined Tribes to go to California to avenge Elijah's murder".
Fort Vancouver, on Columbia River
The Chief went to Ft. Vancouver to talk to Trader John McLoughlin. He believed someone should pay the price for Elijah's death. If not, the Indian gods, who were not to be ignored, cried out for the blood of Elijah's murderer. That the Indian law must be followed sincerely and passionately.
McLoughlin told Chief to go back home, accept and forget about it as nothing could be done here(Oregon) to right the wrong.
With that Peupeumoxmox had again to be satisfied.
It would weight heavily on the Chief when he found out the American killer was not to be punished in any way for his crime.
Yakama Kam-i-ahkin "We live away from the White invasion, and do not know the troubles the Cayuse must endure".
1845 - Excerpts from John Minto
"I arrived at Fort Vancouver from the Wallamut Mission and wanted to catch a ride to The Dallas.
I hailed a passing canoe and found that it was the Great Wallawalla Chief in the lead canoe, accompanying him was a handsome woman companion and her Medicine Man brother. They did not speak to me and I was at a loss for this kind of behavior.
Later information was given to me that the Great Chief had been to Vancouver to council with McLoughlin on something connected with the whites and he was returning home very disappointed and discouraged. The Chief had just returned from California and he wanted to get satisfaction or revenge for the death of his son.
During the 5 days I was with them, the Chief rarely spoke, even to the woman who sat beside him and tried to engage his thoughts to other things to bring him out of his low spirits, but he said nothing ---desperate, despondent, depressed, heartsick in his black thoughts.
His silence seemed to be of sullen disappointment in McLoughlin lack of support".
September 1846 - Edwin Bryant
"While staying here at Ft. Sutter we received a message that a large group of Wallawalla with a few Cayuse were coming to avenge Elijah and get their cattle left at the farm and to assault the Fort.
The Wallawallas are a powerful, warlike Tribe with good marksmen and fight with great bravery and determination. They are armed with rifles and lots of ammunition. They are far advanced in civilization and have good farms, numerous cattle and many ponies".
Fort Sutter - Lt. Joseph Revere
"Lt. Revere received a visit from the Wallawalla Chief Yellowbird. Yellowbird's group usually had a few Cayuse with them, came on excellent horses, not carrying weapons. The Chief not knowing English nor Spanish, we conversed in Indian sign language.
The council broke up and Yellowbird went to see his son's grave near Ft. Sutter. Having performed sacred Indian rites, the Chief returned to their camp at Feather River".
Lt. Revere went to the camp of Yellowbird and he received me courteously, "I found most of his camp sick with the ague-flu(chills & fever & terrible body pain). The disease is highly contagious and very deadly to Indians. My men also caught it, but were not as ill as the Indians who lost many to the illness".
Edwin Bryant
"We went to the encampment of the Wallawalla, who were very ill. The Wallawalla are far superior to the California Indians with their fine features, figures and very intelligent. Their complexions are much lighter bronze and their features, regular, expressive and very pleasing. Both men and women are welldressed and wellarmed with excellent horses".
The American war in California with Spanish.
A battalion of mounted riflemen under Lt.Col. John Fremont also held a party of Chief Yellowbird's men who Sutter had asked to assist Fremont in the Mexican war and told them they would be paid for their service.
"The Wallawalla were good fighters and liking to fight, they agreed to go along. Francois Gendreau, a frenchman with a Wallawalla wife was made Captain of the Indians. They wore broadbrim, low crowned hats, blue wool flannel shirts or their buckskin shirt, with buckskin pants, red quilled moccasins. A leather girdle around their waist held hunting knives, pistol and they carried rifles.
They are handy at riding and fighting with both hands, can very easily and quickly hit you with one and knock off your head with the other, very expert with the bow and arrow, tomahawk and long poled spear in battle. They take orders, are welldisciplined and very welltrained in the art of war and have no boundary in courage and bravery in battle, they are a very good fighting force".
January 14, 1847 Lt.Col. Fremont and his army of 400 volunteers and the Wallawalla arrived from Ft. Sutter to their southern destination.
February 1847 Indians returned back to Fort Sutter having lost only one Indian. Sutter paid them in worn out government horses.
The Indians returned to their camp and then all went back to their home(Washington State) arriving in July 1847 during Paul Kane visit to Fort Walla Walla and there made sketches of Peupeumoxmox and his son Tauchk'nute that he would paint later. Fort Trader McBean wrote Kane's sketches looked like the original.
July 1847 Taken from Paul Kane journal at Stark Museum Orange Co. Texas.
"I was at the Wallawalla camp when Tauchk'nute, young son of Peoopeoomucksmucks first arrived from Mexico with the news, but from his manner they supposed it to be bad and commenced a howl that only a party of Indians can give.
The boy was silent in his grief and they commenced to coax and pat his head, this was continual to induce him to tell them all. There were many! 16 deaths! Among his report were Peupeumoxmox's wife and the son of the Cayuse Chief. The boy then left with 10 men to rejoin his father still on his way there".
Indian pony riders were sent in all directions to carry the news. The Indians have an amazing system of fast communication.
The above was taken from writers of that time. Some early writers wrote Wallawalla, some wrote Walla Walla.
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In July 1997 as I (author) was going to San Jose for the German Convention, I stopped in Sacramento, California to go thru Fort Sutter. I looked the Fort over and imagined the story of Elijah. I asked the attendant if there were bullet holes in the wall? He didn't know what I was talking about. I was referring to the bullet holes in Sutter's office in his home.
Sutter - "After church at the Fort, Elijah and Indians were invited into the home of Sutter, a meeting was called by Sutter in his home office".
I then checked to find where Elijah was buried, as he had been moved from the old Sutter Happy Hunting Grounds into a common area of the new Happy Hunting Grounds. It was just a common area with markers for anyone, who wished to place one. So I asked the memorial site lady, who was from Pendleton, Ore. if I could have a place to put a marker for the boy. I was told this would be fine and they chose a place. I put a nice marker for him and for several years after I put 6 yellow sunflowers there for Memorial Day. I asked a very good friend at that time, present day Walla Walla Chief Carl Sampson if it would be okay if I did this? He said it was fine and later he went down to give Elijah special Indian rites.
I have always been glad I did this.
In September 2002 I placed "Jean Fuller and Peupeumoxmox" on the Washington D C Museum honor wall.
I have also been glad I did this too.
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Descriptions taken from different sources and put together in my style of writing.
ELIJAH
"He stood tall, with the characteristies of his Cayuse blood, a slim muscular youthful body with light copper skin that glowed in the sunlight, covered in buckskin, beads and a calico shirt.
His long jet black hair parted in the middle with side braids, left a full free swinging back that rippled in the wind.
Dark piercing eagle eyes above a romanique nose, full cut mouth and a beautiful face that could be serious sober one minute and then suddenly lively and laughing, with a charming sense of humor".
This was Toayanu - Elijah Hedding.