Traditional Sharing of the Cascades Range by Tribes

The assignment by anthropologists, historians, and linguists of the whole of the Oregon Cascades to the Molalla peoples since 1846 (Hale 1846) needs to be critically rethought. I began this argument in the recent article on the Ethnographic land claims of the Molallas. My recent presentation at the Clark County Historical Society (11/11/2018), and the questions that followed, suggest this is an important subject to cover more fully. So what were the Cascades, of not the homelands of the Molallans? Ethnographically they were a common use area for all tribes to visit, pass through, set camps for hunting (Elk, deer, … Continue reading Traditional Sharing of the Cascades Range by Tribes

War Against the Paiutes, Eastern Oregon 1867-68

Previously in my posts, I have noted details of the history and culture Paiute peoples of the Great Basin, mainly eastern Oregon. These peoples were hundreds of tribes and bands in Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, California and the surrounding Great basin areas. They were so numerous we may never know the full extent of their collective territories. The bands and tribes operated as autonomous political organizations, sometimes they had alliances with other bands. They are variously called Snake Indians, Bannock, Northern Paiute, or Shoshone in articles and publications. The major settlement of Paiute territory really begins in earnest in the 1860s … Continue reading War Against the Paiutes, Eastern Oregon 1867-68