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A band of Walla Walla Indians, the Tenino occupied a large portion of the western plateau south of the Columbia River, where they hunted and gathered roots.
When the Corps needed to portage around the Celilo Falls, they recruited several Tenino to help them. Their all-day efforts to move the boats and supplies entertained other gathered Indians, who watched from the banks.
An 1855 treaty consolidated several bands, including the Tenino, into the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, located along the Deschutes River in Oregon.
One of the greatest challenges these combined bands—Warm Springs (Walla Walla), Wasco, and Pauite—face is the preservation of their native language. There are no speakers under the age of 50 in any of these tribes.
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