In 1864, Oregon Indian Superintendent, J. Perit Huntington, was in charge of Indian affairs for Oregon. Huntington was concerned about a recent movement of Americans onto the Coast Reservation. At the time there were federal laws excluding Americans from going onto or settling Indian reservation lands. The tribes of western Oregon, from 1853-1855, signed treaties … [Read more…]
In the first few years of the Western Oregon reservations, the Coast and Grand Ronde reservations, the federal government was still working to develop a good system of Indian administration. Many of the Indians were just recently arrived from a war, and were envisioned as being potentially violent. On the reservations, there were murders, and … [Read more…]
The question of what sorts of houses the Kalapuyans had has again surfaced. Over the years this question has been of prime importance. Many Americans, ignorant of the diversity and variability of Tribal cultures have assumed that tipis were the houses for all American Indians. This notion has informed generations of Americans and has been … [Read more…]
Over the course of the years one question about the tribes of western Oregon has never been fully answered, Do the Tribal Members of the Grand Ronde and Siletz Reservations possess fishing rights? This essay offers a few case studies and a short analysis of the issue and question, that in many ways still exists … [Read more…]
The following is the raw transcription of the journal of the removal of Four tribes (Cow Creek Umpqua, Upper Umpqua, Yoncalla Kalapuya, Southern Molalla) from the Umpqua Reservation west of Roseburg to the Grand Ronde Encampment (later Grand Ronde Reservation) at the western edge of the Willamette Valley. I have made some notes of clarification … [Read more…]