Seeking the Cayuse Five: Imagining Reparations and Reconciliation in Oregon

This is a Joint Kukin Program x Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights Event

In the mid-1840s, American settlers flocked westward on the Oregon Trail, unknowingly bringing with them measles and other foreign diseases to which the Cayuse peoples along the trail had no immunity. Hundreds of Cayuse children were brought to Narcissa and Marcus Whitman at the Whitman Mission for treatment, but ultimately these children could not be saved. In 1847, members of the Cayuse Tribe, acting under Cayuse law to dispose of false doctors (medicine men, or tewat), participated in an attack on the Presbyterian Whitman Mission in Walla Walla Washington, killing the Whitmans and eleven others. After a two-year pursuit, the US Government demanded the Cayuse turn over five men to be punished in exchange for a short-lived peace. The five Cayuse men – despite considerable evidence that some or none of the men had participated in the attack – were found guilty, hanged, and buried in unmarked graves. Today, their burial site remains unknown.

Professor Micheal Moffitt and students from the University of Oregon Clark Honors College have been supporting the Cayuse in their search for the burial location of the “Cayuse Five.” Moffit and his students worked with Howie Arnett, a leading expert on Indian Law in Oregon and The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to explore broader questions about the potential role and effectiveness of conflict resolution tools, such as repatriation and Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, in addressing historical injustices. During this event, speakers will explore the ways in which the truth-seeking process itself—when centering tribal members’ experiences, goals, and desired outcomes—can be a significant first step.

Guest speakers:

Michael Moffitt

Professor of Law, University of Oregon

Roberta (Bobbie) Conner

Director, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute

This program is approved for 1.5 transitional/non-transitional New York State CLE credits in the category “Areas of Professional Practice” to those who attend in-person.

Info: Guest speakers Michael Moffitt, Professor of Law at the University of Oregon, and Roberta (Bobbie) Conner, Director of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, will provide opening remarks.

Host or Publisher CLIHHR and the Kukin Program