Tawatoy or Young Chief, variously spelled as Tauitowe, Tauatui, Tauitau, Tawatoe or Tu Ah Tway, was a Cayuse headman. Alongside his brother Five Crows, Tawatoy held sway over one of three bands of the Cayuse nation. As the Catholic missionaries

François Norbert Blanchet François Norbert Blanchet (September 30, 1795 – June 18, 1883) was a French Canadian-born missionary priest and prelate of the Catholic Church who was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Church presence in the Pacific Northwest. He was ...

and

Modeste Demers Modeste Demers (11 October 1809 – 28 July 1871) was a Roman Catholic Bishop and missionary in the Oregon Country. A native of Quebec, he traveled overland to the Pacific Northwest and preached in the Willamette Valley and later in what would bec ...

entered the

Columbian Plateau The Columbia Plateau is an important geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by t ...

late in 1838, Tawatoy became interested in their preaching. This earned the enmity of

Marcus Whitman Marcus Whitman (September 4, 1802 – November 29, 1847) was an American physician and missionary. He is most well known for leading American settlers across the Oregon Trail, unsuccessfully attempting to Christianize the Cayuse Indians, and wa ...

, who operated the Waiilaptu Mission in the area. When Demers returned to

Fort Nez Percés Fort Nez Percés (or Fort Nez Percé, with or without the acute accent), later known as (Old) Fort Walla Walla, was a fortified fur trading post on the Columbia River on the territory of modern-day Wallula, Washington. Despite being named after ...

the following summer, Tawatoy let one of his sons become baptised and

Pierre-Chrysologue Pambrun Pierre Chrysologue Pambrun (1792 – 1841) was a French Canadian militia officer and later a fur trader in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company. Pambrun fought against the United States in the War of 1812, in particular the Battle of the Châtea ...

was appointed his godfather. Pambrun later established a house near the

Umatilla River The Umatilla River is an tributary of the Columbia River in northern Umatilla County, Oregon, Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. drainage basin, Draining a basin of , it enters the Columbia near the city of Umatilla, Oregon, Umatilla in the ...

for Tawatoy,Whitman, Marcus.
To Rev. Walker: December 27, 1839.
' Whitman Mission. December 27, 1839. Accessed September 17, 2015. although he allowed its use by the Catholic priests. Despite his developing ties to Catholicism, Whitman reported to his superiors in 1839 that "...he is not governed entirely" by the Catholic missionaries. Tawatoy would join the first Walla Walla expedition destined for

New Helvetia New Helvetia ( Spanish: Nueva Helvetia), meaning "New Switzerland", was a 19th-century Alta California settlement and rancho, centered in present-day Sacramento, California. Colony of Nueva Helvetia The Swiss pioneer John Sutter (1803–1880 ...

. While there, he witnessed the death of Toayahnu, the son of Walla Walla chieftain Yellow Serpent. Tawatoy died likely in modern

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

during 1853.The Oregon Spectator (Oregon City, OR), 6 October 1853, p. 2. After Tawatoy's death, his nephew Weatenatemany, also known as Young Chief, ascended into prominence among the Cayuse.

References

{{authority control Year of birth missing 1853 deaths 19th-century Native American people Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Native American history of Oregon Cayuse people