"The Defiance of Whist-alks",by Nona Hengen
This file appears in: Qualchan Hanging Site
As Qualchan's wife Whist-alks rode into Col. Wright's encampment,she plunged a spear into the ground near Wright's tent. The spear was an entrance for Qualchan and a symbol of his intent to negotiate peace with Wright. The "lance" was covered with "solid beadwork",noted one soldier in the camp.[1]
Image courtesy of Nona Hengen.
[1] Warrior of the Mist,372.
This file appears in: Qualchan Hanging Site
Qualchan Hanging Site
This is the site of a murder.
The 1850s were a violent time in northwest history as a growing tide of American immigrants encroached upon Indian land. In 1855 the first governor of Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens, forced the tribes to sign…