The Passing of Saluskin, Last Chief of the Yakimas
A legacy of tribal leadership ends in tragedy as the aged chief dies in poverty in Parker Bottom.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Saluskin, the last chief of the Yakimas of the royal line of Ow-hi, has died at his home in Parker Bottom. Afflicted with an incurable cancer of the throat, the chief suffered from starvation in his final days. Despite sending his son to find white friends who had supported him during his decline, he ultimately passed away in stoic silence. His death marks the end of a era; while other tribal leaders will follow, the organized chieftainship that Saluskin embodied, rooted in the history of the Yakima people, has effectively concluded. He will be buried Friday at the Indian burial ground on Atanum Gap, overlooking the site of the tribe's final battle against white encroachment.
“There will be other leaders of the Yakima Indian clan, but there will be no chief such as Saluskin.”
Saluskin's death highlights the tragic erosion of Indigenous political structures under the U.S. reservation system. His burial site remains a poignant reminder of the violent history that shaped the Yakima Valley.
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