The Walla Walla were experienced participants in the fur-trade economy, trading horses in particular for the manufactured goods the trade provided.

In this context, a woman arriving at the edge of their territory, obviously in distress, with small children and the story of the Reed party massacre — this was not a stranger appearing from nowhere.

This was a recognizable figure from the fur-trade world that the Walla Walla were part of, in a situation that had implications for the ongoing relationships between the Walla Walla and the trade.

The Walla Walla’s practical interest in maintaining working relationships with the trade, combined with whatever more direct obligations of hospitality and care their own social norms prescribed, produced the decision to help.