Month: October 2018

colonization, General History, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Clearing the Land and Making all Indians Good: The Massacre at Bear River, Utah

David G. Lewis, PhD

In 1863, the California Volunteers under Colonel Patrick E. Connor (3rd Volunteer Regiment, California Cavalry), massacred either 300 or three thousand Ute (Shoshone) Indians in Cash Valley (Cache Valley-Battle of Bear River, February 20, 1863), Utah. The first account, a book written by William F. Drennan addresses over 30 years of his experiences in the West. William F. Drennan, a seeming mercenary-for-hire and mountain man in the mid-19th century, who traveled throughout the west. Beginning when he was 15 years of age, he traveled from California and Oregon to the Dakotas, joining many battles against numerous tribes, including the Modoc … Continue reading Clearing the Land and Making all Indians Good: The Massacre at Bear River, Utah

Anthropology, General History, Oregon indians, Umpqua Valley, Willamette Valley2 Comments

Ethnographic Molalla Homelands in Historic Scholarship

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Molalla (Latiwi) tribes and bands, were native peoples who lived in Western Oregon within the Willamette Valley, and within the Umpqua valley. Historic studies of the Molalla have assigned them a land claim of nearly the whole of the Cascade Range of Oregon, from Mt. Hood in the north to Mt. McLaughlin in the south. Normally they are portrayed in maps and descriptions to have lived in the Cascades along a continuous claim that engulfs the Cascade Range, however, ethnographic  evidence from the Molalla suggests that they did not live within the high Cascades but instead along the foothills … Continue reading Ethnographic Molalla Homelands in Historic Scholarship

columbia river, General History, Oregon indians, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

William Slacum’s Chart of the Columbia River 1837

David G. Lewis, PhD

As a spy in the Oregon Territory, and a Navy man, William A. Slacum was tasked with documenting the possessions of the British, but he also worked extensively to learn where the tribes were located. A map, Chart of the Columbia River, was created from his field sketches and survey notes from 1837, which tracks some 90 miles of the Columbia River. On the map is located a number of Native villages of the principal tribes of the Chinookan peoples. Kiesno is now the conventional spelling of this chief’s name. His is reported to have a principal village near St. … Continue reading William Slacum’s Chart of the Columbia River 1837

colonization, General History, Native IssuesLeave a comment

Americans the Victimized

David G. Lewis, PhD

The story of the settlement of Oregon is largely one of victimization. The pioneers, settlers in many stories are escaping taxes and lack of opportunities in the east. Some are even coming from Europe where they had little rights and no opportunity for advancement. The movement of these peoples west is a journey to find opportunity, freedom, liberty, from the oppressive structures to the east. Manifest Destiny, the assumption of American rights to the lands of the west, is an narrative intended to inspire colonization of the west coast so that Americans can compete with the European colonizers for access … Continue reading Americans the Victimized

assimilation, colonization, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Kalapuya, Native Issues2 Comments

Promise of Citizenship and Informal Allotment at the Grand Ronde Reservation

David G. Lewis, PhD

In 1869 President Ulysses S. Grant gave a short inaugural address as he entered his presidency. The address briefly mentioned that he would support a path to citizenship for Native American peoples. “The proper treatment of the original occupants of this land–the Indians are deserving of careful study. I will favor any course toward them which tends to their civilization and ultimate citizenship.” (March 4, 1869) This short statement caused a storm of policy changes in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The policy change enabled the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to direct his Superintendents to begin preparing the Indians on … Continue reading Promise of Citizenship and Informal Allotment at the Grand Ronde Reservation