The Warm Springs Reservation sits among the iconic landmarks of Mt. Hood to the north, Mt. Jefferson to the south and the Deschutes River to the east. The 644,000-acre reservation is home to three Native American Tribes: Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute.
The cultures of the Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute peoples have shaped the distinct lands they inhabit. Both the Wasco and Warm Springs Tribes are river people. The Wasco Tribe and Warm Springs Tribe originated from the Columbia River, near present-day The Dalles and Hood River. The original name of the Columbia River by the Chinook-speaking Wasco Tribe was Wimahl. The Sahaptian speakers of Warm Springs referred to the river as Nch’i-Wàna, meaning “Great River.”
