Okanagan Indians

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Ancestral Homeland: Washington and British Columbia

History
The Okanagan tribe came into contact in the early 1800's with the non-Indians. Among their first contacts were the Lewis and Clark Expedition, John Jacob Astor of the Pacific Fur Trading Co., and other fur traders.

In 1833 the tribe suffered through a smallpox epidenic.

The influence of missionaries was felt in the 1840's as they hoped to convert them to their Christianity. The Oblates, a group of French Catholic missionaires arrived in Walla Walla. The Oblates moved to British Columbia in 1859, they also interacted with the Yakima and Cayuse tribes, establishing missions.

The 1840 and 50's were a time of recurring famine.

The discovery of gold in the Caribou area brought transite immigrants to the area,

In 1872 the Colville reservation was established for the tribe.

Brief Timeline

 * 1805: Lewis and Clark Expedition
 * 1810: John Jacob Astor formed the Pacific Fur Trading Company.
 * 1811: Fur traders came in contact with the tribe
 * 1811-1860: Fort Okanagan established
 * 1813: Fort Astoria (French), re-named Fort George and Fort Okanagan now in British Columbia
 * 1833: smallpox epidemic
 * 1840: many had become "Christianized."
 * 1840-1850's: recurring periods of famine
 * 1847-1855: Cayuse War
 * 1847: French Catholic missionaries - Oblates - arrived in Walla Walla
 * 1858: Caribou gold-rushers
 * 1859: French Catholic missionaries - Oblates - moved to British Columbia and worked with the Okanagan Father Charles Pandosy and Bishop Magloire Blanchet; also worked among the Yakima and Cayuse missions.
 * 1872: Colville Reservation is established
 * 1891: Treaty - not ratified

Webber Jean and En'owkin Center. edited by. Okanagan Sources. Theytus Books Ltd. Penticton, B.C.copyright 1990. ISBN 0-919441-33-5

Additional References to the History of the Tribe
Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Important Web Sites

 * Okanagan People Wikipedia