Spokane Women Scalp Dance Attendants
The picture of the Spokane scalp dance was performed in a Spokane village near Kettle Falls on the Columbia River. It depicts the central figure of a Spokane woman, whose husband had been killed by a Blackfoot Native Indian. The stick she waves has a Blackfoot scalp on top of it. The woman whirled around a fire flailing the scalp and kicking in revenge. Behind her, eight attendant painted women danced and chanted, as did the rest of the tribe, to the beat of drums. The painted faces of the Spokane women are taken from the Scalp Dance picture. The white paint worn by the women symbolized mourning and the black paint, a very aggressive color, symbolized strength, and in this instance, also symbolized power, revenge and striking terror in any onlookers or captives. Chalk deposits were plentiful and charcoal was easy to make resulting in distinctive white and black face painting.
The Spokane tribe and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark encountered the Spokane tribe in October 1805. The tribe heard about the Lewis and Clark expedition and sent two runners to meet them as the Corps of Discovery approached the Columbia River. Additional encounters with the Spokane were made at the Long Narrows of the Columbia at their ancient Wishram village and witnessed the tribe trading and enjoying leisure activities such as wrestling and horse riding.
What transportation did the Spokane use?
The Spokane tribe used canoes made of strong and water-resistant birch bark that could be easily bent, cut and sewn. Th birch bark canoes were important for their way of life. The Spokane hollowed logs with fire and then bark was stretched over a strong, lightweight, wooden frame to make a bark canoe that could be easily steered. The canoe was perfect means of transportation for travel along fast streams and shallow waters of the Columbia River.
What food did the Spokane tribe eat?
The food of the Spokane tribe included salmon and trout and a variety of meats from the animals and birds they hunted. They supplemented their protein diet with roots, seeds, nuts and fruits.
What weapons did the Spokane use?
The weapons used were spears, lances, clubs, knives and bows and arrows. The Spokane also used shields for defensive purposes.
What clothes did the Spokane wear?
The clothes worn by the men the men and women of the tribe were similar to the clothing of the Nez Perce - please refer to this article for details.
What happened to the Spokane tribe? History Timeline
The following Spokane history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks and battles fought by the Spokane Nation. The history timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe.
Spokane History Timeline
1750's: The Spokane acquire the horse and their lifestyle changed as they were able to travel to the Great Plains to hunt buffalo
1800: Two French-Canadian fur trappers, Le Blanc and Le Gasse, were the first white men to make contact with the tribe. They were sent by explorer and trapper David Thompson to spend a winter with the Native indians
1805: The Lewis and Clark expedition met the tribe on their travels along the Columbia river.
1812: A trading post known as Spokane House was built near the confluence of Spokane and Little Spokane Rivers
1825: The Hudsonís Bay Company established Fort Vancouver as a trading post
1825: The sons of Spokane Indian leaders are sent to the Red River mission school by the Hudson's Bay Company.
1836: A missionary called Samuel Jackson made contact with the tribe
1830: The Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress
1843: The first major migration along the Oregon Trail took place which eventually led to violent conflicts with the white settlers who traveled in wagon trains along the Oregon trail
1845: The white settlers brought various diseases to the Native Indians who lived in the surrounding areas of the Oregon Trail
1847: Many of the Spokane tribe are wiped out by a devastating series of measles and smallpox epidemics
1855: The Yakima treaty was signed on 9 July 1855 and ceded more than 10 million acres to the United States government in exchange for over 1 million acres of reservation lands
1855: The Yakima War (1855-1858) erupted, fought by members of the Native Indian alliance including the Spokane, Cayuse, Walla Walla, Umatilla, and Nez Perce tribes.
1857: The Fraser Canyon gold Rush began in 1857 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. White prospectors rushed to the area
1858: The Coeur d'Alene War (aka Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and Palouse Indian war) was fought in the Washington and Idaho areas. The alliance of Native Indian tribes attacked and defeated a force of 164 US troops under Major Edward Steptoe
1858: Colonel Wright ordered the destruction of 700 Palouse horses at "Horse Slaughter Camp," hanged several Palouse Indians. This concluded the Coeur d'Alene and the Yakima Wars
1859: The treaties with the tribes were broken, the US gave only half of what was promised
1881: The Lower Spokane moved onto the newly formed Spokane Reservation.
1887: Dawes General Allotment Act passed by Congress led to the break up of the large Indian Reservations and the sale of Indian lands to white settlers
Spokane History Timeline