Cayuse is a Native American group in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. The reservation is located near Pendleton, Oregon near the Blue Mountains.

The Cayuse were originally located in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington state and lived adjacent to territory covered by the Nez Perce. The Cayuse were noted horsemen and often used their horse-riding prowess to intimidate other tribes. The Cayuse moved to the Umatilla Reservation after signing a treaty with the U.S. federal government in 1855.

The Cayuse language is a language isolate. It has been proposed in the past that it may be related to Molala making up a Waiilaptuan family ultimately related to the Penutian stock. This proposal is currently undemonstrated.

The Cayuse call themselves the Te-taw-ken, which means "we, the people".

External links

• Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation homepage
• Languages of Oregon - Cayuse page