Paul Mumford

Washaski

Chief Washakie led the Northern Shoshone band of Indians for 60 years, but he was not as well known as Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse or Red Cloud because he never went to war against the whites that were coming into the western lands. This did not make him a pacifist or coward, just the opposite, it showed his wisdom and gave him some control over the destiny of his people.

It is believed that Washakie was born in 1798 in the Flathead country of Montana, his father was Flathead and Shoshone and it is believed that his mother was of the Lemhi band of Shoshone. They lived among the Flathead until his father was killed by a band of Blackfeet which scattered the village and sent Washakie and his family south to find safety with the Lemhi’s on the Salmon River.

Though details of his early life are sketchy, it appears that he lived among the Lemhi’s for 20 years before going off with a band of Bannocks, a division of the Shoshone that were not friendly to the whites. After several years with the Bannocks, Washakie joined up with a band of Eastern Shoshone and traveled to western Wyoming where he would spend the rest of his life.

Washakie was a great warrior, fighting the enemies of the Shoshone, the Sioux, Blackfeet and Cheyenne on many occasions. In one battle he had been injured by an arrow, which had struck his left cheek and entered his nose, this caused a scar that he carried for the rest of his life and earned him the name of Scarface among many of the tribes.

Washakie was made chief of the Northern Shoshone sometime in the 1840’s, and he remained chief until his death in 1900. It is said that his leadership was challenged in the 1870’s, when Washakie was over 70 years of age. To prove that he was still strong enough to lead he went out on his own for many days, and when he returned he had several fresh scalps taken from enemies of the Shoshone. His leadership was not challenged again.

The Northern Shoshone under Washakie never waged war on the whites and during those years when the Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Sioux were raiding and killing, the Shoshone, including Washakie, were employed as scouts for the army. I n return, Washakie asked for lands near the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming for his people.

Using poor judgement, the United States Government gave the lands that Washakie had asked for to the Crow Indians in 1861, but in 1868 when the government felt that the Crows had broken a treaty, the lands were given to Washakie and his Northern Shoshone tribe.

Washakie counted among his friends such famous mountain men as Jim Bridger and Kit Carson (Bridger was also his son-in-law). He and the Northern Shoshone were also very helpful to the many emigrant’s that traveled through their territory on the way to Oregon or California, and because of their treatment of the emigrants they received a commendation from the U.S. Army.

Washakie knew that survival for his people lie in their understanding of white ways so he asked for schools to be built on the reservation to teach the young. He also asked for hospital’s and farming equipment, all to help his people on their journey into the white world.

Though the Northern Shoshone always tried to get along with the whites, they were not always treated fairly in return. In one instance, they were forced to allow 900 of their enemy, the Arapahoe, to live among them "temporarily", a situation that would eventually become permanent. Washakie had fought against this proposal, but eventually gave in with the promise that it was not permanent.

In February 1900, Washakie, chief of the Northern Shoshone Tribe died in his lodge on the Wind River Reservation. By order of President William McKinley, Washakie was given the rank of Captain and buried with full military honors in the cemetary at old Fort Washakie, he was the only chief ever given this honor.