Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Page 2
April 23, 2009
Bridge was named for Wasco Chief Duc-Sa-Hi
Dedication
ceremony was
75 years ago
by George Aguilar
Many geographical areas,
buttes, mountains, etc., have
been named after distinguished
people.
A fine example would be the
Crooked River Gorge Bridge
named after a Culver war hero
named Barber.
Another example closer to
home: The bridge crossing the
Deschutes River at the reserva
tion is named after the Wasco
Chief Mark Meacham, Indian
name Duc-Sa-Hi.
Thirteen-hundred people at
tended the 1934 dedication of
the bridge.
During the dedication cer
emony, the state highway com
missioner and several speakers
representing D eschutes and
Jefferson counties delivered sev
eral speeches. According to a
1934 report in the Madras Pio
neer:
“Following the speeches of
the ‘white brothers’ one of the
oldest o f the Indian, chieftains
Owhi Ike, a Modoc scout and
one of the last surviving of his
tribe, was led to the platform
and spoke through an inter
preter. The crowds Estened in-
tendy to what the old chieftain
had to say of early days when
there was no bridge and only
trails and plenty o f warlike ren
egade tribes to disturb the more
peaceful and friendly ones.
“The climax o f the day’s
events occurred when Mr. Scott
(State Highway commissioner)
cut the ribbon held across the
bridge and christened it Duc-Sa-
Hi, naming it after a famous
Wasco chieftain.
“Duc-Sa-Hi was a chief of
the Wasco tribe o f Indians and
a counselor and-spokesman for
the tribe until his death in 1879
at Warm Springs. In 1885 the
government sent his son Frank
Meacham to West Virginia to
college and when he returned he
was a great leader among the
Wasco tribe and made several
trips to Washington D.C. on
behalf o f the tribe.”
The report continues: “Fol
lowing the dedicatory ceremony
the Indians, ranging in sizes
from dignified chieftain to a tiny
papoose carried in a baby board
on his mothers back, took part
in a colorful parade across the
new bridge. War dances in spec
tacular Native regaha proved to
be much interest to the crowd
and closed the ceremonies for
the day.”
The primary purpose for this
new bridge was to provide a
faster and shorter route from
Pordand to the Central Oregon
areas.
This bridge also opened up
the Warm Springs Reservation
to the outside world.
However, Highway 26 was
not paved and opened until
1945, w hen the Mill Creek
Bridge was completed.
Years later, the steel and con
crete reinforced 421-foot long
Duc-Sa-Hi Bridge survived the
devastating 1964 floods.
“Who will be the first to throw
away his Indian heart, laws, and cus
toms and from this day henceforth be
a Whitman in everything pertaining
to civilisation!”
i
MaryAnn Winishut Meanus
at the Duc-Sa-Hi Bridge
christening, 1934.
Ike Owhi, listed as a Modoc
War Veteran scout, attended
the Duc-Sa-Hi Bridge
christening in 1934.
Owhi is the grandson of the
Chief Owhi of the Chief
Kam-i-a-kan Yakama War
Campaign of 1856.
Changing of names
was to see how P resid en t
Duc-Sa-Hi Was one o f the Grant’s Peace PoEcy had taken
Chief’s of the Wasco and head effect on the Warm Springs Res
men o f the primary signatory ervation. During the meeting
participants o f the 1855 Treaty. with the Indians this scene took
Below is an excerpt taken place:
from the book, IFTgw«? and
Warpath, by A.B. Meacham, a
After a few moments, the chief
U.S. Government high Official arose and said, “I will be a white man
o f Indian Affairs.
from this day;” and then advancing
M eacham visited W arm toward the desk, he was welcomed by
Springs Agency in December friendly greetingfrom the White men
1871. It also may be safely sur present. Holding him by the hand I
mised that the visit o f Indian (A.B. Meacham) said to him,
Commissioner A. B. Meacham
“I welcome my red brother to our
civilisation. You are now a {white)
man; our people do not consider the
color of a man; it is his heart, his
life. What name will you take?”
He (Duc-Si-Hi) hesitated, look
ing down for a moment; then raising
his eyes to my own with earnest ga^e,
spirit and relationships.
he inquired if he might take my name,
Please contact Ursala or
saying he liked it because it sounded
Alicia to register for this
well. Acknowledging the compliment,
group. Meetings are begin
I addressed him as Mr. M ark
ning this week.
Meacham. This was greeted with
There is no cost for this
applauses.
new approach to wellness, as
it is financially supported by
the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs Community
Counseling Center.
For information, contact
the Community Counseling
Center at 553-3205.
R ed Road counseling program fo r youth
The Warm Springs Com
munity Counsehng Center is
presenting The Red Road—
Reaching Your Potential with
Community and Family Sup
port.
T his aftercare support
group approach will focus on
health in body, mind, spirit
and relationships.
Each group m eeting is
two and one-half hours in
length, twice a week.
This is the start o f our
Red Road to the Circle of Life.
Aftercare support groups will be
for twelve weeks, or, in three
moon cycles.
Groups will be held at the
W arm Springs C om m unity
CounseHng Center. This after
care support group will target
youth just completing in-patient
treatment, youth who have com
pleted in-patient treatment, or
youth who just may need added
support and inform ation re
garding health in body, mind,
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The giving o f an
Indian name was a
custom o f the Wasco
to pass on Indian
names fo r the preser
vation o f posterity,
and tribal history was
also passed on this
way.
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The changing names o f In
dians to EngEsh were another
way to put an end to the tradi
tions o f the Indians.
During the meeting o f the
1871, aE individuals were forced
to renounce their former civiE-
zation by saying:
“I throw away the law my fa
thers made. I take this new law”
Several of the leading men of
the Wasco and Teninos made
this statem ent and decision
when A.B. Meacham came to
the Warm Springs and Duc-Sa-
Hi was the first to have his name
changed.
Hand shaking was renewed, and
then one after arose and made short
speeches, and came forward and were
enrolled: The Captain (Smith) grow
ing warmer and more enthusiastic as
each new name was entered on the roll.
Nearly one hundred had come out
squarely, and we adjourned the meet
ing to the following day.
D uc-Sa-H i acquired the
American Mark Meacham name
when he was forced to throw
away the laws of his father, the
throwing away of the Indian law
also meant changing the Indian
nam e o f D uc-Sa-H i to the
A m erican nam e o f M ark
Meacham.
Duc-Sa-Hi was one o f the
principal Kiksht Wasco chiefs
who signed the Middle Oregon
1855 Treaty with the United
States.
Duc-Sa-Hi’s activity is weE
documented when pen was put
to paper of earEer years.
T he giving o f an Indian
nam e was a custom o f the
Wasco to pass on Indian names
for the preservation o f poster
ity, and tribal history was also
passed on this way.
D uring the earlier years,
probably in the 1860s to 1880s,
a setder by the name o f Henry
Coe documented a case o f a
m urder th a t to o k place at
PoUalah (Hood River) as the
early setders knew it then.
“One of the chief Wallachin In
dians killed a Mosier Indian; pay
ment was demanded by the relatives
of the deceased and refused on the
grounds of poverty. Mark, the chief
of the Wascos, backed up the demand,
and did not accept the excuse.
Mark without delay marshaled his
band of warriors, and at their head
came to Hood River. They came for
business and they looked it. Seventy-
five or a hundred of them on horse
back with their war paint and eagle
feathers galore. A ll were armed, some
with flint locks, others with bow and
arrows and with tom toms beating.
In about two hours they returned lead
ing three Cayuses, {horses) par value
of the dead Indian.
In my very earEer years I had
the privilege o f having to stay
with a daughter of Duc-Sa-Hi.
Her name was Jane Meacham,
her Indian name was Low-sha-
wy. She was the mother o f Eva
Brunoe Winishut. This old lady
and I used to converse in the
Indian language. The nearest
people connected to this family
tree is Levina Tanawasha, Levina
is the grand daughter to Low-
sha-wy. The great great grand
daughter to Low-sha-wy is Ge
Colw ash, the late Sammy
Colwash is the O e‘s father.
(N ote: George A g u ila r is the
award-winning author o f W h e n th e
R iv er R a n W ild!)
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