Soap Lake History Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Chapter 2
Documentation of human life around Soap Lake prior to recorded history is far from complete. There is the possibility of ice-age or earlier man, but even the history of the local Indians is shrouded in mystery. As is usually the case, few white men cared about the loss of a great civilization until long after it had been forced to change.
The tribe occupying our Big Bend country was labeled the "Columbia" by early explorers, but they called themselves the Tsincayuse, and are best known to most people as simply "Chief Moses people."
Of the many tribes in the Pacific Northwest, they are one of the least studied by historians. What little we can learn of their customs and culture comes from the last Indian survivors of the early white era who were no doubt already feeling the influence of a new way of life.
These early people left many tons of stone artifacts, the most common being the well known arrowheads — equally cherished by all adventurous discoverers from farm boys to professional archaeologists.
The Tsincayuse quite probably migrated from the coastal regions at some unknown time in their past, bringing with them a highly developed skill in canoe making. This talent, along with that of navigating swift waters, allowed them to make good use of the Columbia River for travel.
When horses became available to them, they quickly learned their value and began to travel on land as well as on water. This may account for their name, since "Cayuse" means horse.
They were good fishermen and hunters, and their nomadic culture allowed them to hunt and fish all over central and northern Washington. They developed a way of life quite unique, combining the traditions and skills of the coastal, plains, and desert Indians. Perhaps this versatility partially accounts for the fact that the Tsincayuse was one of the last tribes in the U.S. to be put on a reservation.
The significance of the Soap Lake area to the Tsincayuse can probably be attributed to three essentials in any culture: food, medicine and entertainment.
Tradition holds that the lake was known by at least two Indian names — Smokiam, which means "healingwaters" and Let-to-to-weints, which is said to mean "healing water springs." This would indicate that they were aware of the healing properties of the water.
A few stories survive of early settlers being told by Indian friends of the benefits of the lake water and Indian steam huts remained on the water's edge long after white men built a town here.
The first and largest camp ground of the tribe on their annual trek north from their home camp on the Columbia River near Vantage, was at Ephrata. The entire tribe stopped there, and from that camp groups departed in various directions for their separate missions of gathering food and supplies for the coming year.
Smaller groups or families used their individual skills to hunt, fish, make canoes, gather roots and berries, make tools, and prepare food to feed the entire population over the winter.
The root dug by the women near Soap Lake was not camas, as is commonly thought, but something called tsuka-lotsa (Lomatium Canbyi). It was sometimes eaten fresh or boiled in water-tight baskets at the campsite, but its main and most valuable use was as a starchy flour-like substance which provided the basis of their diet.
A very nourishing and convenient biscuit was made from the ground tsuka-lotsa root, dried and powdered fish, and dried berries. These hard cakes traveled well, kept indefinitely without spoiling, and contained almost all nutrients needed to sustain life and health. There is evidence that this food was used in trade as well as for their own sustinence.
Even though the Indian concept of owning land was not as rigid as the white mans', this area "belonged" to Chief Moses tribe in a sense, and was controlled by them. It was a peaceful land though. Many other tribes came each summer from as far away as the central U.S. plains to visit, trade news and goods, and renew old friendships before leaving this summer capital and going about the more tedious business of the yearly migrations.
One of the main items received in trade by the Tsincayuse was the beautiful agate and flint rock used to make arrowheads, knives, needles and other implements which could not be chipped from the native lava rock.
One of the most exciting activities of their stay at Soap Lake was the horse races. Training jockeys and breeding good racing stock was serious business all year round, but the competition was always good-natured in spite of the high stakes usually wagered on the outcome of each race.
When the white men came, and before they usurped the land, they joined the Indians in this summer sport and many of them also caught the racing fever. The tradition of the annual summer celebration still remains today in Soap Lake's Suds 'n Sun festival each July.
Most stories of the life of the Tsincayuse indicate that the women did most of the menial tasks while the men traded horses and played betting games while they camped at Soap Lake. However, some of our older citizens who were here when the Indians still camped here in the summers, tell of young Indian women racing prize horses, so perhaps a woman's life was not all work.
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