https://ellensburgrodeo.com/who-we-are/yakima-nation
To mark the start of the rodeo, the Yakama Indian Nation moves down Craig’s Hill and into the rodeo arena. This is an ongoing tradition at the Ellensburg Rodeo. Several members of the tribe come down on horseback to symbolize the way that the tribe came into the valley for countless years before settlers came to the area. The Kittitas Valley was one of the last stopping points for the Yakama Tribe before it started for its winter camps.