Lewis & Clark College

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"Haweet haweet Ilpilp - butchering steer. Nespilem - 1893 - '94" (EW, later note.) See EW journal entry for November 20, 1893: "Then some of the Indians got on their horses and dragged the steers out of the corrall and then they commenced to butcher them and I was sneaking around taking pictures I shot off all I had in the camera six and then I loaded her up and took some more" See also EW letter of 11/22/93: "We killed six steers yesterday and I got quite a few pictures of them butchering and dividing the meat."

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"A Nez Perce 'Ictas House' at Nespilem, Colville Reservation, Chief Joseph's headquarters in 1893. 'Ictas' in Chinook means 'things' or 'belongings.' Hence, an Ictas house is a store house, where things were stored that were not kept in the tepees, or taken on journeys. The dog in this picture is I think the grey-white little fellow (probably part coyote) that belonged to Chief Joseph, and used to sleep with me to keep warm (and me too) and tree native pheasants for me. I forget his name. But it may have been 'Elowtewa,' meaning 'friend.' " (EW, later note.) See EW journal entry for November 21, 1893: "I went into Little Man Chief's Ictas house (footnote: 'A small shack patched together with rough boards where he kept his treasures') with his squaw and she showed me a whole lot of fine things. Beaded buckskin shirt, baskets, Indian hats, a fine red stone pipe that Little man chief had gotten from a Souix." This image published with OHQ journal transcript.

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"Nez Perce squaw splitting wood - at Nespilem - 1893 - 94" (EW, later note). Cf. EW journal entry for November 22, 1893: "I took my camera after breakfast and went up to Alieu to mak kawkts teppe to take some pictures of his wife and sister but they had gone after some lodge poles and so I came back . . ."

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"A long, or winter eneet (wigwam) on the riverbottom at Nespilem. This is probably the one I lived in with Chief Joseph and 4 or 5 other families" (EW, later note). See EW journal for November 24 and 25, 1893: ""At noon they started to move and they went down about half a mile where the squaws joined 4 or 5 tepees together and made a tepee like we had in the mountains. Joseph was at one end and Rose Bush at the other and 5 families down the sides." "After breakfast I went up the creek to the mill and got my camera and shot off the remai[ni]ng 3 fils then I loaded her up and went down to the tepees and got 12 fine pictures some of the tepees and most the others of squaws doing fine things."

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"This picture shows the squaws putting up the lodge poles for the long teppe which they make in the Winter time. Joseph and about 6 other families are going to live in this one." EW, 1893" "It will contain 4 fires in a row, instead of the usual 1, In the center of the round tepee. Tepee is I believe a Sioux word. The Nez Perce word is E-neet. It was in these long eneets that we used to hold the mimic war dances on winter evenings - up and down the row of fires - with the great drum beating at one end." (EW, later note). See EW journal for November 24 and 25, 1893: ""At noon they started to move and they went down about half a mile where the squaws joined 4 or 5 tepees together and made a tepee like we had in the mountains. Joseph was at one end and Rose Bush at the other and 5 families down the sides." "After breakfast I went up the creek to the mill and got my camera and shot off the remai[ni]ng 3 fils then I loaded her up and went down to the tepees and got 12 fine pictures some of t

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"This is a squaw carrying some logs of wood" (EW, 1893). See journal entry for November 25, 1893: "After breakfast I went up the creek to the mill and got my camera and shot off the remai[ni]ng 3 fils then I loaded her up and went down to the tepees and got 12 fine pictures some of the tepees and most the others of squaws doing fine things."

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"This is a sweat house. It hasn't been used today as you see there is snow on it. The creek runs right by it and when the Indians come out of the sweat house they go into the cold water. They put blankets over the door to keep the steam in. They make the steam by pouring water on hot rocks. This house will hold 4 men and a boy. The Indians and I took a bath in it almost every morning that we were camped there" (EW, 1893). This image published with OHQ journal transcript.

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"Hatzwul (center) and Nicky Mowitz (extreme left) at Nespilem Agency - 1893 or '94." (EW, later note.) See journal entry for November 26, 1893: "I took twelve more pictures today about half of them portraits." This image published with OHQ journal transcript.

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"Nez Perces at Nespilem Agency, 1893 or '94" (EW, later note). This photograph may have been among the ones taken on November 26, 1893: "I took twelve more pictures today about half of them portraits" (EW journal).This image published with OHQ journal transcript.

Erskine Wood Photograph from Chief Joseph's Camp at Nespelem, WA, Colville Reservation, 1893.

"Nez Perces at Nespilem Agency" (EW, later note). This photograph may have been among the ones taken on November 26, 1893: "I took twelve more pictures today about half of them portraits" (EW journal). This image published with OHQ journal transcript.