Ka’hosadi Shasta Peoples of Oregon and California

Chief John, Tecumtum, was the leader of the Rogue River Confederacy for over a year in southwestern Oregon. The Confederacy formed when tribal bands on the Table Rock Reservation were attacked by Americans seeking to punish and exact retribution on the Indian there for previous battles, skirmishes, and petty thefts in the region. The region of southwestern Oregon and northern California was a conflict zone for about eight years by 1856 with settlement and gold mining causing numerous territorial conflicts in the region. Gold miners, in particular, were apt to make a try at gold mining for a year or … Continue reading Ka’hosadi Shasta Peoples of Oregon and California

The Takelma Tribe’s Stories

For more than 10,000 years the Takelma peoples lived in a vast area of southern Oregon encompassing Table Rocks. Their close neighbors were the Athapaskan, Molalla and Shasta tribes who they traded and had political relations with. The region of these tribes included the Table Rocks area (Rogue River Valley) which was the traditional homelands of the Takelma tribe. The Takelma were divided by the upland Takelma and valley Takelma. They were the original Rogue River Tribe  who lived along the Rogue River and Illinois rivers. They became one of the “Rogue River tribes” along with the Athapaskan (Chasta Costa), … Continue reading The Takelma Tribe’s Stories

Foolish Indians and Bad Whites; Palmer advises George and Limpy, April 1856

Joel Palmer  (Oregon Indian Superintendent) writes from Dayton April 24, 1856, after receiving a letter From Indian Agent George Ambrose. Palmer is at this time heavily engaged in making arrangements for the tribes to remove to the Grand Ronde Reservation. The Cascade Attacks have happened and he is most concerned with the removal of the tribes on the Columbia and removal of the Molalla. At the same time in southwest Oregon, the Rogue River Confederacy under Chief John has left the Table Rock Reservation and began attacking American settlements in a westward path. Chief John has attracted several tribes to … Continue reading Foolish Indians and Bad Whites; Palmer advises George and Limpy, April 1856