Columbia River

Red Elk clutched his rifle intensely. He could see the smoke rising from Hermiston just a few miles down the inlet. His band had received news just hours prior that Bend had recognized Yakama’s mandate to govern, and it left them all wondering what the Umatilla lacked to concoct their own bloodless resolve over this city, which was significantly smaller than Warm Springs’. It was a shame the town was so disagreeable in their efforts to uplift everyone, not just themselves. As soon as this brief period of discord was settled, they were sure to see the truth in Yakama’s stewardship.

Gunshots popped from the bow of the small trawler, returning fire to the coastal underbrush where Oregon militiamen lurked. Red Elk hoped his band of rifles would be the only ones fired at other men for a long, long time.

Mámachatpam Wiyá'uylá Tiichám

MAP | FLAG

Official Name: Yakama Indian Nation / Mámachatpam Wiyá'uylá Tiichám

Capital: Yakima

Legislature:

• Council of Chiefs (Upper House)
• Small Council (Lower House)

The Yakama Indian Nation is a confederation of American Indian tribes located principally along the Columbia River, bordering Cascadia and California. The nation’s eponymous capital region operates as an independent enclave within the Communes of Cascadia, enduring a tenuous but serviceable relationship with their neighbor.

Inspired by the tales and regality of the Five Tribes of Sequoyah, the Confederated Tribal Reservations of Yakama, Warm Springs, and the recently-displaced Umatilla met in the politically neutral town of Yakima, and agreed to combine their reservations and the remaining unoccupied territories of Oregon and Washington into the Wiya’ulya Tiicham; an independent Indian Nation not bound by the laws of the keeling white man. The Yakama Treaty was formalized in December of 1958, and a Tribal Council similar to that of the Five Tribes was established. However, one change inimical to Sequoyah’s democratic tribal government was made by the signatories; the Council of Chiefs would be appointed by the Small Council and serve an indefinite term, and were not to be democratically elected by the general Indian population. The Wild Chief, however, would retain a two-year, democratic term.

Yakima and Bend serve as the two principal cities of the Tiicham’s Yakama and Warm Springs tribes, and the small town of Hermiston serves as the Umatilla capital. These three population centers disseminate separate but unified domestic policy promulgated by the Small Council, and form three de-facto eponymous regions. Each tribal region operates separate militias, although efforts are already being made by the Small Council to establish a confederated army.