Tag: tekopa

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Kalapuya, Oregon indians, Willamette ValleyLeave a comment

Eliza Young: Brownsville Basketweaver

David G. Lewis, PhD

  Eliza Young (Indian Eliza, Liza), was a native of the Mohawk Valley. The Mohawk Indians, were originally called the Peyu (Pee-you, Pe-u) Kalapuyans and were re-named by settlers after the river was renamed by early settler Jacob Spores. The Spores family had come from New York in 1847, the original homeland of the Mohawk Seneca peoples, and brought that name with him. It was a practice for settlers to  rename their new settlements with names they brought from their original settlements from the east. Eliza appears to have been orphaned, likely as a result of the epidemics, perhaps malaria, … Continue reading Eliza Young: Brownsville Basketweaver

General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Oregon indians, Uncategorized, Willamette Valley1 Comment

The Tekopa Band of Calapooias Reservation 1855

David G. Lewis, PhD

In 1855, the Kalapuyans of the Willamette Valley signed a treaty with Joel Palmer at his land claim in Dayton. This treaty ceded the whole of the Willamette Valley to the United States. American farmers wanted the tribes removed from the valley as soon as possible as they did not want to live near Indians. There were numerous conflicts in the region caused by the encroachment of Americans onto Indian lands and the atmosphere was especially toxic in southern Oregon and on the Columbia River.  Americans, insisting that they deserved landclaims, took land from the tribes and completely disrespected previous … Continue reading The Tekopa Band of Calapooias Reservation 1855