Forces of 19th century create memories that spur Tribe to today’s success
Book discussion
shows changes
between then and now,
what future may hold
By Diane Rodriquez
Charles Wilkinson and the Siletz
Tribal Council continued their book tour
with The People Are Dancing Again by
holding a discussion with Tribal mem
bers on Aug. 12 at the Siletz Community
Health Clinic.
Wilkinson chose to focus his remarks
on events in the 19,h century “when you
had so many forces coming at you and so
many things happening.” The removal of
Tribes to the Coast Reservation needs to
be placed in Siletz history, he said, and
also in national history.
“This is social engineering of a kind
that has hardly ever been seen in the U.S.,”
he said. “This series of events, taking all
Indians in Western Oregon and moving
them to this reservation, what a presump
tuous thing for the U.S. to think of doing.
Tell them to leave everything behind and
it’ll be fine. Never mind that you’ve got 20
different language groups, have peoples
with similar cultures but different ones.
We’re going to throw them together and
it’ll be just fine. And so they just did it.”
Wilkinson then shared details about
the removal from the Umpqua Reserva
tion in January 1856 and from the tempo
rary Table Rock Reservation, people who
walked to the Grand Ronde encampment
- 263 miles from Table Rock, most of
them barefoot - in February 1856.
He also talked about the removal
of Tribes from Northern California and
Southern Oregon to Port Orford, Ore.,
where at one point about 1,700 Indians
had been gathered. Many made the trip to
the Coast Reservation by sea, but others
were forced to march up the coast on what
became the Siletz Tribe’s Trail of Tears.
This group of ancestors included Tyee
John, his men and their families. Tyee
John was the last person to surrender his
rifle in the Rogue River War, after the
Battle of Big Bend in 1856.
“Tyee John was enormously respected
by the (U.S.) military for his leadership
and military tactics, for his understanding
of the rules of war,” said Wilkinson. “You
could stop fighting and have talks and
see if you could have agreements. They
knew of Tyee John also as a dangerous
man because they knew he didn’t want to
move north. They punished people with
the Trail of Tears march.”
Wilkinson also
reminded those
attending the event
that by 1875, 90
percent of Tribal
members had died,
mostly from Euro
pean diseases, some
during the war
and others during
removal.
gave “meaningful,
voluntary explicit
consent” to give this
land away, Wilkin
son said, despite
pressure from fed
eral officials.
The Allotment
Act approved by
Congress in 1894
followed congres
sional policy to make
Heartbreak
Indians into farm
continues with
ers. Of the 225,300
loss of land
acres involved, only
43,000 acres were
The Rogue
set aside for indi
River Treaty of 1853
Photo by Diane Rodriquez
vidual allotments
was the “first rati
Charles Wilkinson at the Siletz Clinic
and 3,200 acres for
fied Indian treaty in
a timber reserve for
the whole American
the Tribe. Then 179,000 acres - 79 per
West” said Wilkinson. It established the
cent - was declared “surplus” and opened
Table Rock Temporary Reservation.
for non-Native settlement.
An executive order signed by Presi
Termination in 1954 removed the
dent Franklin Pierce in 1855 established
last
of the land from the Siletz Tribe and
the Coast Reservation, a 1.1 million-acre
Tribal members.
piece of land that ran 105 miles from north
“No Tribal members testified in the
to south, 23 miles from east to west on the
(congressional) hearings about termina
southern end and 12 miles across on the
tion. People thought it was inevitable,”
northern end.
said Wilkinson. “Very few people voted
“You Tribal members should realize
for termination in local meetings. There’s
you accomplished one of the greatest
no evidence people were invited to appear
Indian reservations with this one. This
at termination hearings.”
is some of the most valuable land in the
United States of America,” said Wilkinson.
Positives from the 19th century
By 1865, agricultural interests in the
Wilkinson concluded by discussing
Willamette Valley were increasing pres
two positive things for the Tribe.
sure to establish a port at Yaquina Bay.
“You should be really proud of the
Despite the fact that a number of Indian
military capability of your ancestors at
villages were in the area, Sen. James
the time. The U.S. brought its full military
Nesmith of Oregon said no Tribes were
weight upon your people,” he said. “At
living at Yaquina Bay at the time.
the Battle of Big Bend, the Tribes had
These things helped lead President
the military surrounded. One hundred
Andrew Johnson to sign an executive
military reinforcements turned the tide.
order opening 200,000 acres - about one-
It’s amazing what they did to try to hold
fifth of the original reservation - to settle
onto their homeland.”
ment. This move now is considered to be
Wilkinson also praised the village
illegal, however, because only Congress
community of the time.
can change Indian treaties. Presidents
“At the beginning of the 19th century,
cannot do this unilaterally.
the village system was still operating with
The taking of land was just beginning.
full vibrancy. I came to respect this so
In 1875, about two-thirds of the original
much. The first two chapters in the book
reservation - 700,000 acres - was removed.
are about the village system. It’s such an
“A bill was put through by Sen. John
admirable set of societies - true sustain
Mitchell of Oregon. The state was rich
ability,
true community closeness and a
with forests, including Siletz forests, which
10-day Nee-Dash dance.”
were sites of the greatest theft of federal
public lands in history,” said Wilkinson.
“After this event, Sen. Mitchell was
indicted and convicted in timber fraud
cases. He died in jail awaiting appeal.”
Although Mitchell entered it in the
congressional record as such, Tribes never
Access to legal system an issue,
but it’s changing
Most of the discussion following
Wilkinson’s presentation was about the
land the Tribe once had.
Tribal member Marietta Cook
reminded folks that reservation land
wasn’t really farm land at first. Families
made a run at having successful commer
cial farms, Wilkinson said, even though
state reports indicated this wasn’t arable
land for farming.
“Allotments didn’t have to be for
farming,” he added. “Tribal members
were able to select the best lands along
rivers, along tributaries and in meadows.”
Bob Scott, husband of Tribal member
Loma Scott and father of Tribal member
Joe Scott, asked if there is any record of this
loss of land being corrected in the courts.
“A big part of Indian history is the
near-total lack of access to attorneys from
1825 through the 1950s, when tribes were
being separated from their land,” said
Wilkinson. “There was no money for
attorneys and a lack of understanding of
the larger system and how to use it.”
In 1972, Wilkinson started working for
the Native American Rights Fund, the “first
non-profit Indian law firm ever. We received
many calls from Indians wanting to get their
land back. They were barred by statutes of
limitations in pursuing their cases.”
Loma Scott mentioned how things are
changing for Tribal members.
“When I was first teaching about 45
years ago, I was teaching about Africa and
Tribes seeking independence. Not a single
person of their Tribe had a college edu
cation,” she said. “Now, we have Tribal
members who are attorneys, who have
degrees in anthropology, linguistics. Our
own people, through improving opportu
nities for education, health, housing ...
that the Tribal Council has done for our
people, is beginning to bear fruit.”
Taking the long view
Tribal Vice Chairman Bud Lane used
an analogy to illustrate the point of land lost
and possibly to be reacquired some day.
“It’s the moral - if someone steals
your bike, they may have your bike for
the time being. But morally, though, it’s
still your bike. We have to hang onto the
moral rights to our lands and pass it on.
It’s our affinity for our lands, they really
are ours, even if they were taken by hook
or by crook,” he said. “In 1855, we had 20
million acres. In 1955, it was all gone. The
possibility of a settlement is always out
there for me, maybe for our kids or grand
kids. We take the long view of things.”
1 Management opportunities now
I available at both Tribal RV parks
■ Landscaping opportunity is now
I available for Chemawa Station
_
The Siletz Tribal Business Corporation currently is seeking bids from Tribal
I members on RFPs for the contract manager positions at the Hee Hee lllahee
RV Resort in Salem, Ore., and Logan Road RV Park in Lincoln City, Ore., that
| will commence Jan. 1, 2012.
1
All interested parties can contact Stephen Larrabee to get more information
on the RFP, which is due by Oct. 31. The complete RFP can be found on the
| STBC website - stbcorp.net.
_
We currently are looking for bids from Tribal members on an RFP to provide
I landscaping services at the Chemawa Station property for the 2012 calendar year.
Larrabee can be reached by e-mail at slarrabee@stbcorp.net and by phone
I at 541-994-2142 or toll free at 877-564-7298.
541-444-8204 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1204. Larrabee can be reached by e-mail
I at slarrabee@stbcorp.net and by phone at 541-994-2142 or 877-564-7298.
All interested parties can contact Brenda Bremner or Stephen Larrabee to
| get information on the RFP, which is due Sept. 30. The complete RFP can be
found on the STBC website - stbcorp.net
|
Bremner can be reached by e-mail at brendab@ctsi.nsn.us and by phone at
September 2011
•
Siletz News
•
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