Native peoples of the Great Basin, the Plateau and California

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Plateau nations and the Columbia River

   Nation (own name)	Homeland	Traditional ways of life	Changes and hard history	Today
   Nimiipuu (Nez Perce)	north-central Idaho and nearby Oregon and Washington, including the Wallowa Valley	breeding horses, especially Appaloosas, for long journeys to fish and trade	in 1877 the Wallowa band left its homeland rather than be forced onto the Idaho reservation; after about 1,170 miles in five months it stopped on October 5, about 40 miles from Canada, and 432 people were sent to Kansas and then to Indian Territory	the Nez Perce Tribe, based in Lapwai, Idaho, has more than 3,500 citizens; other Nimiipuu live on the Colville and Umatilla reservations and in Canada
   Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation)	the Columbia River and its tributary valleys, and the Blue Mountains, in Oregon and Washington	fishing, trading and traveling along the Columbia by canoe and on foot	the Treaty of 1855 gave up most of their lands but reserved the right to fish at usual and accustomed places	the Confederated Tribes govern the Umatilla Indian Reservation and are members of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
   Yakama Nation, Warm Springs and other Columbia River tribes (at Celilo Falls)	Celilo Falls on the Columbia River, between Oregon and Washington	fishing at Celilo Falls, an age-old Indian salmon fishery	on March 10, 1957, the gates of The Dalles Dam closed, and four and a half hours later the falls were under water	tribal fishers still fish this stretch of the river from platforms they build at Celilo Park

   Below the chart: the Columbia River tribes estimate that 11 to 16 million salmon returned up the river each year before settlers came.

2. 1.

   How far did the Wallowa band travel in 1877, Bo asks?

   • About 1,170 miles in five months
   • About 117 miles in five days
   • About 1,170 miles in five years
   • About 40 miles, up to the border
3. 2.

   On what date did Celilo Falls go under water, Jun asks?

   • 1877, with the journey
   • 1855, with the treaties
   • October 5, 1877
   • March 10, 1957
4. 3.

   Why did the Wallowa band leave its homeland in 1877, by the chart, Kira asks?

   • To bring its Appaloosa horses down to the Columbia River
   • Because Celilo Falls had gone under water
   • To move to Indian Territory by its own choice
   • To avoid being forced onto the Idaho reservation
5. 4.

   What caused Celilo Falls to go under water, Luz asks?

   • The Treaty of 1855 was signed
   • The Dalles Dam closed its gates
   • A spring flood from the Blue Mountains
   • The tribes sold the falls for a dam
6. 5.

   What happened to 432 Nimiipuu after October 5, 1877, Milo asks?

   • They were sent to Kansas and then Indian Territory
   • They returned home to their villages in the Wallowa Valley
   • They stayed at Celilo Falls to fish for salmon
   • They signed the Treaty of 1855 that year
7. 6.

   Which claim about Celilo Falls fits the chart, Noah asks?

   • The falls slowly went under water over many years
   • The tribes chose to flood the falls for the dam
   • The dam was built as part of the treaties of 1855
   • The falls went under water within hours of the gates closing
8. 7.

   Which claim about the Nimiipuu today fits the chart, Pia asks?

   • They lived in Idaho before 1877 and are gone now
   • The Nez Perce Tribe has about 350 citizens
   • They live in Indian Territory, where the 432 people were sent
   • They live in Idaho, on other reservations and in Canada
9. 8.

   Which claim about fishing at Celilo today fits the chart, Ren asks?

   • Tribal fishers still fish there from platforms they build
   • Fishing at Celilo stopped for good in 1957
   • The fishers use platforms that were built into The Dalles Dam
   • The Nez Perce alone fish at Celilo Park now
10. 9.

    Which two rows name the Columbia River, Tala asks?

    • The Nimiipuu row by itself
    • The Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla row by itself
    • The Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla row, and the Celilo row
    • The Nimiipuu row and the Celilo row
11. 10.

    Which row tells what happened in 1957, Ari asks?

    • The Ute row of the Great Basin chart
    • The Yakama and Warm Springs row at Celilo
    • The Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla row
    • The Nimiipuu row