The Tenino people, commonly known today as the Warm Springs bands, are several Sahaptin Native American subtribes which historically occupied territory located in the North-Central portion of the American state of Oregon. The Tenino people included four localized subtribes — the Tygh (Taih, Tyigh) or "Upper Deschutes" divided in Tayxɫáma (Tygh Valley), Tiɫxniɫáma (Sherar's Bridge) and Mliɫáma (present Warm Spring Reservation), the Wyam (Wayámɫáma) (Wayámpam) or "Lower Deschutes", also known as "Celilo Indians", the Dalles Tenino or "Tinainu (Tinaynuɫáma)", also known as "Tenino proper"; and the Dock-Spus (Tukspush) (Takspasɫáma) or "John Day."
Historically splitting their time between winter camps and summer camps on the Columbia River, in 1855 the Tenino people were made a party to the Treaty with the Tribes of Middle Oregon, which was negotiated by Oregon Superintendent of Indian Affairs Joel Palmer. The Warm Springs bands are today a part of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, which governs the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon.
The Tenino people, commonly known today as the Warm Springs bands, comprised four local subtribes: the Dalles Tenino or "Tinainu"; the Tygh, or "Upper Deschutes"; the Wyam (Wayámɫáma), or "Lower Deschutes", also known as "Celilo Indians"; and the Dock-Spus, or "John Day." These bands occupied split their time between inland winter villages close to water and fuel supplies and summer camps with rich fisheries located on the south bank of the Columbia River in today's North-Central Oregon.
The Tenino people spoke a dialect of the Sahaptin language, a tongue shared by the neighboring Umatilla people located to the East. Other neighboring tribal entities spoke other languages, including the Wasco and Wishram, located to the Northwest, who spoke a dialect of the Chinookan language, the Molala people across the Cascade Range to the West, who spoke Waiilatpuan, and the Northern Paiute to the South, who spoke a variant of Shoshoni.