A Homecoming

Sometimes it can be troubling when a local name is almost better known as a fine wine label than it is as the Native American tribe it recalls.

But most residents of the Touchet River Valley know that "Cayuse" refers to the people who once roamed the hills now planted in wheat and peas, and into the Blue Mountains beyond.

Located largely between the Columbia and Snake rivers, Cayuse villages and territory were as far as the Upper Grande Ronde and as close as the Tucannon and Touchet rivers them- selves.

Waitsburg was pretty much smack in the middle of it. The land around the frontier settlement where Waitsburg later grew up was included in the 6.4 million acres ceded by the Walla Walla, Umatilla and Cayuse tribes to the U.S. govern- ment in 1855.

In exchange, a parcel of land was set aside as the Umatilla Indian Reservation which now consists of 172,000 acres and is half owned by non-Natives after Congress passed laws al- lowing such ownership in the late 1800s.

The tribes retained their rights to fish, hunt, and gather traditional foods and medicine from the ceded territory in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.

Historical accounts of the Touchet Valley make mention of the Cayuse and the other tribes. But beyond Christophe Baron's highly sought-after vintages, the name rarely comes up and the tribe's presence and visibility is fairly nonexistent in our communities. Dayton's Palus museum is a notable exception.

All that could change, however, if the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation accept an invitation to par- ticipate in this year's centennial celebration of the founding of the Days of Real Sport in Waitsburg.

This week we report on a letter sent by Waitsburg Mayor Walt Gobel to the tribes and on the possibility of their in- volvement in the third weekend of May's events: a place of honor in the Main Street parade, Indian relay races, an encampment in Preston Park and so on.

There's no word yet on the tribes' official response, but unofficially we know they are considering it and may wel- come a visit by representatives from the Days of Real Sport centennial committee to tribal headquarter to further discuss this idea.

We are encouraged by this initiative, which was floated and facilitated by Tom Hebert, a Pendleton-based consultant who has been a staunch advocate of the Days of Real Sports "re-invention" since the recent loss of pari-mutuel horse rac- ing and the uncertainty of its return.

A Waitsburg group, which includes the mayor, his wife, the Days of Real Sport, the Waitsburg Historic Society, the Commercial Club and the Blue Mountain Resource Con- servation & Development Council, has begun to explore a number of ways to keep horse-related activities at the core of this cornerstone community celebration.

In addition to cowgirl activities, fair court races and barrel racing, what could be more appropriate than inviting the de- scendants of the tribes that once managed tens of thousands of horses in this region to introduce the crowds in the grand- stand to what has been called the wildest most colorful event in all of equine sports.

According to American Cowboy magazine, Indian relay racing "is a crowd-pleasing spectacle that involves expert horsemanship, teamwork, pageantry and the potential for disaster at every turn. The excitement in the stands is con- tagious as race time nears, and even newcomers to the sport quickly find themselves caught up in the moment."

And just as important is the idea that members of the area's Native American community whose ancestors hail from the hills around Waitsburg and had a passion for horses at par with the founders of the Days of Real Sport might once again walk through our valley with pride and honor.

It will be a homecoming for all of us.