Category: Kalapuya

Ethnobotany, General History, Kalapuya, Oregon indians, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

Reconstructing the Willamette Valley Camas Swales

David G. Lewis, PhD

In recent work I have begun to document the various wetlands of the Willamette Valley from before settler changes took effect. Our best, and most complete set of records of this early period are the General Land Office (GLO) Maps housed now online at the Bureau of Land Management’s Land Status and Cadastral Survey Records website. The earliest surveys were in 1851 up near the Columbia and most begin in 1855 or 1856 in most areas of Oregon. The maps are a series of quadrangle maps that are coded east or west depending on where the land lies in reference … Continue reading Reconstructing the Willamette Valley Camas Swales

colonization, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Kalapuya, Native Issues, Oregon indians, treaties, Umpqua Valley, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

The Upper Umpqua and Yoncalla are Removed to the Umpqua Reservation

David G. Lewis, PhD

A subject which has had little clarity in the past is when were the Umpqua and Southern Kalapuya, the Yoncallas, resettled to the Umpqua Reservation at Coles Valley. The Umpqua and Calapooia Treaty of November 29, 1854 is the treaty of land cession for these tribes and sets in motion the removal of the tribes to a permanent reservation. But that removal did not happen immediately and significant plans had to be made to create the temporary Umpqua Reservation, and develop it to the point that the tribes may be removed there. The illustration of this process and event was … Continue reading The Upper Umpqua and Yoncalla are Removed to the Umpqua Reservation

Ethnobotany, Kalapuya, Traditional ecological knowledge, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

Camas and Micro-seasonality at Minto-Brown Park

David G. Lewis, PhD

We all are aware of the annual seasons, winter, spring, summer, and fall, but in the growing cycle of the plants of the Willamette Valley there are micro-seasons when specific plants rise and expend their energies. (there is probably a botanical term for micro-seasons but not sure what that is.) This is the case at Minto-Brown park, during the first spring micro-season, with few flowers and plants just beginning to grow. For Camas, in about March-April, they sprout their long leaves and it takes some weeks for the central flower to begin to rise.   There are a few early … Continue reading Camas and Micro-seasonality at Minto-Brown Park

Ethnobotany, General History, Kalapuya, Traditional ecological knowledge, Willamette Valley5 Comments

Seasonal Wetlands and Minto-Brown Island Park

David G. Lewis, PhD

It seems important to tribes that if they are truly to become restored, and decolonized, they need to be culturally restored by helping to decolonize their lands and traditional resources at the same time. Tribes did not independently become culture but there are important interactions with their land and its resources that helped develop their cultures. Therefore, tribal restoration and environmental restoration are linked elements in decolonization. But there is also many other reasons for restoring traditional landscapes, for the safety and security of the many peoples who now live here, for the health of the land and the planet, … Continue reading Seasonal Wetlands and Minto-Brown Island Park

General History, Kalapuya, Native Issues, Oregon indians, Traditional ecological knowledge, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

The Southern Exploring Expedition and The Kalapuyans

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Charles Wilkes Exploring Expedition came to Oregon in August 1841. The expedition split into two parties with some of the expedition venturing up the Columbia, and a number of the scientists and naval men (The naval men were dispossessed from their duties due to the sinking of the Peacock.) traveling down the Willamette Valley and through the interior valleys into California. Wilkes’ journal is a summary of the journey but does not include all of the details from the journey as many of the officers and scientists kept their own journals. I took note of details that address the … Continue reading The Southern Exploring Expedition and The Kalapuyans