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The Wallawalla and Cayuse were governed by the most powerful and influential Chiefs then any other Tribe on the Columbia Plateau.
Wallawalla Chiefs
Tomartarpum = Grand or Great Chief of the Wallawalla Nation
Yelleppit = Head Chief of the Wallawalla
1805 - Found in the back of Lewis-Voorhis fieldbook.
David Thompson
Chief Yellept:
"The Head Chief of the Wallawallas living on the West or North side of the Columbia River, was around 40, about 6 feet tall with open manly face, good even nice features, in every way a truly handsome man. He was clean, well dressed, intelligent, friendly. He made no speeches, but talked directly man to man. He was very impressible and had great influence and control, was held in high regard by all the surrounding Tribes".
Alexander Ross
Chief Tumatapum : "Head Chief of the Wallawallas, was middle aged, well featured, very agreeably pleasant, a truly good man, very honest and decent, was kind and rendered to us service cheerfully, which was the usual treatment rendered by the Wallawalla. Tumatapum didn't have as much influence, control or standing as did Old Cayuse Chief Alloukt, who had more power and much influence over all the other Tribes".
Ross Cox ---
"Tamatapam was a Cayuse. His extended family lived at the Village of Wallawalla, they are the Wallawalla "Cayuses".
Tiloukaikt and his mother came down to see Lewis and Clark. Peupeumoxmox remembered the explorers well".
Hudson Bay Trader Andrew Pambrun ---
"The Wallawalla Tribe were the largest Tribe amongst the Columbia Basin, - Priest Rapids to The Dalles. The Wallawalla Nation was under one Great Chief Peupeumoxmox and he appointed the Chiefs and SubChiefs over each camp no matter how large or how small. There was nothing the Chief didn't know and he controlled the course of these Tribes.
There were Wallawallas mixed with the Yakama, Palouse, Cayuse and NezPerce.
The Yakama, Umatilla, Palouse, Wallawalla spoke a similar dialect of the same Wallawalla language".
FAMILY === WALLAWALLA VALLEY ::::: Cayuse Chief Umtippe Waptashtakmahl (Feather Cap) Yehekishkish Ishai achal akis (Wet Wolf)
FAMILY === WALLAWALLA VALLEY ::::: Cayuse Chief Tiloukaikt Stahowee McKay Owlishwampu Watashtemenee (Painted Earth)
FAMILY === UTALLA (UMATILLA) VALLEY ::::: Cayuse Head Chief Alloukt (Ahl loh cutt) War Chief Quahats Head Chief Wallamutkeen NezPerce Chief Chapeau
WALLAWALLA Chiefs ::::: Head Chief Yellept Head Chief Tomatapam Great Chief Peupeumoxmox Head Chief Homily
CAYUSE CHIEF WALLAMUTKIN CHILDREN === NezPerce Chief Tuwetakes Old Joseph Head Cayuse Chief Tauwatway Head Cayuse Chief Achekaia 5 Crows and also Peupeumoxmox's Cayuse Wife
Cayuse Chief Weahtenatemany was nephew of Tauwatway.
Wallawalla Chief Homily was pure Wallawalla. Homily was not Wallawalla "Cayuse".
Peupeumoxmox --- Family
Peupeumoxmox had several children by different wives. Those known are:
Wolfskin and "Other Son" === were Headmen and older children.
A.B. Roberts, who secretly buried The Chief during the Battle of Wallawalla wrote about the prisoners: "Wolfskin was the son of Peupeumoxmox, --- these Indians were not pygmies and "both of his sons who were with him were 6 ft 4 inches in height". Wolfskin was a large man and soldiers remembered the death of the big Indian.
1824 - 1844 Toayanu son of Cayuse wife, was baptized "Elijah Hedding" at Wallamut Mission School during his studies there and was killed at Fort Sutter and in direct line for Great Chief To Be.
1825 - 1855 Angelique daughter of Wallawalla wife, Temertapse was married to halfbreed Antoine Placie of Frenchtown. She died during the 1855 Indian Council and was buried at the St. Rose of Cayuse Mission in Walla Walla.
Around 1830 Watashchenownan, "Afraid of Earth" the young boy in the Gunpowder Story.
Around 1830 Tauchknute, "Man Without Medicine" whose picture was painted by Paul Kane in 1847 during his stay at Old Fort Walla Walla.
Around 1838 Young Peupeumoxmox, Chief of Hasotoin Tribe near Asotin, Wa. married a Potlatch Creek woman, was involved with his cousin NezPerce Young Joseph.
Around 1840 Peupeumoxmox Son, next Chief To Be, included in 1855 Indian Treaty. A warrior was leader of the Wallawallas in 1856 council with Stevens, and in contestation with Homily for Head Chieftain, was killed in 1862.
Peupeumoxmox, Wolfskin, Other Son, Elijah Hedding, Peupeumoxmox Son were all killed by the Americans.
Sister --- Pe tow ya or Pe to wy a
Trail of Lewis and Clark by: Olin Wheeler
Petowya was 111 years old in 1902 when she passed away on the Umatilla Reservation. She gave this story to Lee Moorhouse.
She remembered Lewis and Clark on their visit in 1806 with Yellept when she was 15 years old. Her father, a Cayuse, had been treated by them for a rheumatism knee. The Wallawalla Indians thought her father so honored as to be treated by the explorers that they made him the Head Chief of the Wallawallas and gave him the name Toma-top-pom.
She said they lived in a mat lodge on the northside of the Wallawalla River near its mouth.
Moorhouse said Petowya was very knowledgeable and that she seemed to know of what she said, that he did not doubt her words.
She said they thought York was a white man painted black and she wet her finger to see if the black rubbed off.
Her father had many ponies, several wives and alot of children. Indians could have wives but they had to take care of them and their children.
Tomatoppom had a brother called Old Tranquille and a son Petit Borgne/little one-eyed man, whose name was Tamatapa, whose eye had been injured in battle with the Snakes.
A Warrior:
Ya tin ee ah witz = son-in-law of Old Owlishwampu
A warrior he fought in the 1847 Cayuse War -- 1855 Battle of Wallawalla -- 1867 Paiute War -- 1878 Bannock War -- 1879 Snake War -- Figured with Homily in Egan capture.
Wounded 3 times.
Wi e kt -- "One who flies" called Wild Cat, son of Cayuse Tamsucky of Wallawalla Valley.
Was involved in the 1847 massacre, the 1855 Council, the Battle of Wallawalla and the 2nd 1856 Stevens council.
He had many cayuses that could run fast races and far distances without hardly breathing hard.
He was a very fast dispatch rider with his own ponies to and from Steptoe encampment to the Northern Battlefields in l858, Making nearly an astonishing 275 miles in 2 days, that it was thought at the time should have earned him a medal.
At battle's end, Fall of 1858, Wiekt rode into his Utalla River camp where Wallawalla Valley Cayuse were living and spurred up the Cayuse to now reclaim their homeland, as Wright had promised them, before more settlers came.
Wiekt was promptly hung by Col. Wright for disturbing the peace.