In a convenient alphabetical format, this book describes the histories and cultures of the Pacific Northwest tribes, of which there are more than 150, belonging to 15 different language groups, which have inhabited the Pacific Coast, the semi-arid Columbia Plateau, and the arid Great Basin. Brief characterisations of the tribes provide information about tribal language, alternative names, house styles, diet, populations at certain dates, contacts with white explorers and traders, treaties, claims against the government of the United States, leading personalities and significant migrations and settlements. The section of the book which deals with the pronunciation of Pacific Northwest tribal names is supplied by M. Dale Kinkade.

The Cayuse Indians

by Robert H. Ruby and John A Brown

Published 31 December 1972
In this book, Robert H. Ruby and John A. Brown tell the story of the Cayuse people, from their early years through the nineteenth century, when the tribe was forced to move to a reservation. First published in 1972, this expanded edition is published in 2005 in commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the treaty between the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Confederated Tribes and the U.S. government on June 9, 1855, as well as the bicentennial of Lewis and Clark's visit to the tribal homeland in 1805 and 1806.

Volume 120 in The Civilization of the American Indian Series


The Spokane Indians

by Robert H. Ruby and John A Brown

Published 31 December 1970
"The Spokane Indians" clearly and concisely spans the years from their prehistory to the present... highly readable.... This work has a positive place for those interested in Indian affairs today". -Oregon Historical Quarterly.