Oregon Tribal Languages have been endangered for over 100 years. From an original base of some 100 languages and dialects, the number of surviving languages with speakers has dwindled to about eight. Most tribes do not have many elder speakers and the language programs are constantly searching for funding to help the languages survive … [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…]
The situation on the Malheur Reservation is very reminiscent of what happened to the tribes in the 19th century, when thousands of acres of Indian reservation lands were taken from the reservations and allotted to Americans seeking their piece of land, with the promises of opportunity. This notion maybe connected with that of Manifest Destiny, … [Read more…]
On August 7th 1871, Indian commissioner Alfred B. Meacham met with representatives of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The mission was to discuss the possibility of the tribe relinquishing its reservation and combining with one of their neighboring reservations in Washington State or Oregon. The transcript of this meeting is found in the M234 series … [Read more…]