301 - Oklahoma State University - Library

12 Ind. C1. Corn. 301
At the long narrows on the Columbia he reported:
The main camp of the Indians is situated at the head
of the nnrows, and may contain, curing the salmon season,
3,000 souls, or more; but the constant inhabitants of the
place do not exceed 100 persons, and are called Wy-am-pams;
the rest are all foreigners from different tribes throughout
the country, who resort hither, not for the purpose of
catching salmon, but chiefly for gam5ling and speculation;
for trade and traffic, not in fish, but in other articles;
for the Indians of the plains seldom eat fish, and those of
the sea-mast sell, but never buy fish. Fish is their own
staple commodity. The articles of traffic brought to this
place by the Indians of the interior are generally horses,
buffalo-robes, and native tobacco, which they exchange with
the catives of the sea-coast ard other tribes, for the
higua beads and other trinkets. But the natives of the
mast seldom cone up thus far. Now all these articles
generally change hands through gambling, which alone draws
so many vagabonds together at this place; because they are
always sure to live well here, whereas no other place on
the Colurnbia could support so many people together. The
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d2 long narrows, therefore, is the great ernporium or mart
of the Columbia, and the general theatre of gambling and
roguery.
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We saw great quantities of fish everywhere; but what
were they among so many: we could scarcely get a score
of salmon to buy. For every fisherman there are fifty
idlers, and all the fish caught are generally devoured on
the spot; so that the natives of the place can seldom lay
up their winter stock until the gambling season is over,
and their troublesome visitors gone, All the gamblers,
horse-stealers, and other outcasts throughout the country,
for hundreds of miles round, make this place their great
rendezvous during summer. * * * (Pet. Ex. 553, pp. 129, 130)
Turning northward on the Columbia he passed the mouth of the Yakima River
and camped at Priest's Rapids where there were a large group of Indians
identified by Ross as Ska-moy-num-acks which may have been a Sahaptin
group. About 30 miles above priest's Rapids Ross found a tribe of Indians
identified as Ke-waugh-tohen-emachs. Dr. Ray correlates these Indians
with the Columbia, Rock Island or Isle de Pierre Tribe. Mr. Chalfant,