For many years now I have been writing about Peupeumoxmox and I thought the readers might be interested in how he looked.

A big tall nicelooking Cayuse man Peupeumoxmox stood 6 feet 2 inches tall. His face, an Indian face, had hooded eyelids, high cheek bones, romanesque nose, a puffed upper lip that turned under in a thin line and a full bottom lip. A much determined looking mouth and chin for a much determined personality. His once long black hair by l855 had become an l8 inch bluish white.

His description is taken from early text, and I quote:

Samuel Warfield, during the Battle of Wallawalla, "Moxmox was a strong husky man, passed his prime with amazing strength for an old man and I had to trip him to break him loose from the gun".

A. B. Roberts, who buried the Chief, "Old Peu was a large broad shouldered man. The Wallawalla and Cayuse are big men. I know this for I have seen them. They are tall, well built, and very wealthy".

John Minto, in l845 during their journey together up the Columbia River, "We went into an Indian lodge. The manner of the occupants was very quiet. The manner of our Chief (peupeumoxmox) was as a friendly visitor. The occupants acted as if a Deity had suddenly appeared before them and were much humbled. If I had never seen revered royalty before, I was certainly seeing it now. We left the fishermen with their humble offering of a 30 lb. sturgeon. It was as if the large elk wolf, which our powerful looking Chief resembled had suddenly taken to mouse hunting".

It was also written;
"He walked with a rolling gait, and his movements were easy, lithe, graceful and flowing for a large man".
"He was as powerful looking standing on the ground as he was sitting his horse".

"The Wallawalla Chief is of light copper complexion, very tall, athletic, large hands and feet well formed, walked with an easy stride."

In other words, he was a big, tall, broad shouldered, broad backed, strong husky man, athletic and trim. A large powerful looking chief with a kingly bearing and he looked what he was, the highest Chief, and he held tight to that title.
The Chief was clean and being rich dressed well. His wardrobe went from his plain work bucks, his beaded white religious suit with red beaded white moccasins, to European clothing from the Hudson Bay Co.
He had European shirts, several of the very best English cut 3 piece suits, and he liked English hats.
An extremely strong determined leader, his personality ran the gamut from kind, gentle, loving and caring to wild Indian, cunning, clever, hostile, angry fighting enemy.
Peupeumoxmox was a very human being and a many-faceted man.

arrow for wallawalla warrior
pipe for peacekeeper
whip for law and order
yellowbird for himself - - - I thought children might like the little yellowbird.

A well dressed man Peupeumoxmox could well afford the finest of anything Hudson Bay Co. had to offer.

His wardrobe consisted of several finely woven English suits with vests, in plain, twill or tweed. Hudson Bay shirts and settlers calico shirts. He liked shirts, which was a well liked fad by Wallawalla and Cayuse that these Indians wanted as many shirts as they could get and would do anything to get them by trade, buy or work.

The Chief had plain unadorned work bucks, ornamented buckskins, buffalo robes, Indian and Hudson Bay blankets, point blanket capot, wool jacket. He wore settler shirts with European pants, or buckskin shirt with European pants, or with beaded leggings and beaded moccasins, a buckskin shirt with hawk bells that tinkled as he walked, or he could wear a 3 piece suit with a derby hat.
It was said the Indians had a way of mixing and matching their European clothing in a very colorful way.

Peupeumoxmox did not wear a war bonnet or bald eagle feathers in his hair like the Sioux. The Wallawalla wore few feathers or on special occasions or celebrations they could wear feathers or beads braided into their hair. Mostly day to day their hair was long or braided or unadorned.

A small waist pouch containing comb, mirror, face paint, personal items was carried at all times. Appearance was important to Wallawalla and Cayuse always to be clean and nice appearing. The Cayuse who were very proud, would stop at a small stream, comb their hair and wash themselves so they would be presentable before coming into camp. If they came in dirty, they could lose face, which to them would be unacceptable.

The Indians didn't wear shoes as shoes hurt their feet, so always wore moccasins. For some religious reason, the Wallawalla wore red quilled or red painted toed moccasins.

An always presence of pipe and tobacco, which they said quieted them as they smoked or when they visited. The Chief had a dark sandstone pipe.

A successful farmer, the Chief had a rich successful air about him whether dressed in his Indian buckskins or his English suit. In those days if one had a good farm, cattle, horses he was considered by others a successful man in life.