Page 8
December 14-, 2011
Spilyay Tyrooo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Chieftainship question inspires history research
B y George W. A g u ilar Sr.
unite against a common enemy. Columbia River area, Washing
All these groups spoke the ton Governor Isaac Stevens and
To the rem aining descen same language, but often differ Oregon Indian Superintendent
dants o f K iksht Chinookan from one another as geographi Joel Palmer threatened, bribed,
speakers of the Columbia River, cal area extends farther down and persuaded friendly tribal
several people o f this group river...
leaders like Lawyer of the Nez
have approached me concern
In early time the Columbia Perce’s to part with nearly 90
ing information regarding the River Peoples’ religion was all percent of their bands ancestral
vacancy of the chieftainship of guardian spirit inspired (primal homelands in exchange for res
the Wasco.
ervations.
religions).
It is my hope excerpts from
In d ivid uals w ith specific
The article four, second para
my next book, The Shattered Civi guardian spirits were the deci graph of the 1855 mid Oregon
lisation, will quell many misun sion makers, like: root digging Treaty may have had (conjec
derstandings about chieftainship worker, guardian spirit inspired ture) the same influence with
am ong
E astern
K iksht w ar chief, a noble o f each some of the headhouse hold
Chinookan speakers and lower household was a chief and de chiefs, of the Wasco and the al
cision m aker...
Chinookan civilizations.
lied Tenino.
This project was prim arily
Any individual who rose to a
designed for informational pur prominent noble by acquiring
Contemporary chief: The
poses for my people the Kiksht wealth was considered a chief. 1855 Treaty lists Chinook as one
Wasco o f Warm Springs, my It was his responsibility to pro of the principal chiefs of The
relatives, and grandchildren. The vide for those who were not Dalles band of Wascos. In 1859,
staged events of these tales were quite as fortunate as he, and he Chinook was employed as inter
created from the use of ancient relished the position because he preter at W arm Springs for
known Indian names.
considered it an honor to help $500 a year.
With the loss of many Na others who were without. He
In the Rattle Snake War cam
tives during the epidemics who expected nothing in return...
paign activities of 1866-1867,
had Indian names, the utilization
(Response to these questions in C hinook was a m em ber o f
of the few existing ones of my volved the C hinookan speak ing Darragh’s command. It appears
ancestries will be used for illus peoples. The comments made on these he may have held a noncommis
tration with the The S hattered questions were based upon the earli sioned officer’s grade or at least
C ivilisation project.
est observations made by G abrial a temporary one as indicated by
Franchere, an A stor fu r trapping of the Louis Simpson’s narrative.
A large amount of the his ficia l during the era o f 1811.)
(Ref. Sapir ethnohistory.)
torical events in the project of
In 1870, A.B. Meacham men
The Shattered Civilization were
The people of the Wascopum tions Billy Chinook for his mis
documented by anthropologists, had developed a variety of com sionary work and for taking a
ethnologists, missionary’s pio plex cultures, each with its own leading part in the progress of
neers, explorers, trappers, and complex history and unique way the tribe.
early settlers. For that reason and of life. They were divided into
In D ecem ber 1871, when
accordingly so are the archaic several major groups, and had A.B. M eacham v isited the
docum ented N ative R iver politically independent house Warm Springs Agency, he made
holds, bands, and villages.
people’s customs of that time.
mention of how the U.S. gov
I must reiterate the project
The River people were not ernment reneged on a special
of The Shattered Civilisation is to ruled by leaders who could agreement in the Treaty coun
show the reader o f how the speak for anyone but their own cil:
C hinookan civ ilizatio n may particular household. These
“At this time certain members
have flourished before the ar people of the Columbia River of the Tenino (Wasco?) Band
rival of the Whiteman who later had developed a sophisticated was in possession of, and had
came to West Coast and the culture such as: a ladder of sta made improvements of value
Oregon Territory.
tus; techniques to harvest and near, ‘The Dalles.’ Under spe
The called attentions of this store large quantities of food; cial agreements in Treaty Coun
w riting are about the Kiksht specialized occupations; a wide cil these improvements were to
Chinookan customs, and the spread system o f trade; and be paid for by the Government.
Nineteen years have passed, and
Kiksht way o f life. The Shat large, permanent homes.
M ission Jo hn (sic) and B illy
tered Civilisation project was for
real and they were well docu
There are about 150 Signa Chinook have not yet received
mented and authentic.
tures on the 1855 Treaty Docu one dollar for the aforesaid im-
Some of these traditional ac ment. These are all household provements.” (Ref. Warpath and
tivities are still used at Warm headpersons or chiefs from dif the Wigwam.)
Springs Reservation to this day. ferent parts o f the Columbia
Among the Kiksht Native
The audiences for this drama River System.
is intended to be the general
people are men who became
reader and younger generations,
N obles: The C olum bia very powerful through the white
whom I hope will find the tales River People prided themselves mans educational and political
irresistible and entertaining. on how far away a marriage tie structure. These men reportedly
This Indian storyline is for was well-known. C hief’s sons took a lead in g part for the
those who have some curiosity m arried C h ie f’s daughters, progress and advancement into
about our people, the Eastern nobles married into nobles of the American mainstream.
Kiksht Chinookan (Wasco) Civi oth er groups. The w ealth y
The chiefs and headmen that
lization who now live at Warm household Chiefs who were of fraternized the Indian Agents
Springs Reservation.
a noble family did not marry into who enforced the early estab
D uring an interview with those of lower standing. Nobles lished policies were given spe
questions and answers for The married families of nobles. Sla cial privileges, for representing
O regonian new spaper (about very was an accompaniment to their tribal groups.
2008) these questions were the Chinookan social structure.
The individuals assigned as
asked by a reader:
The nobles controlled and chiefs had received some edu
How were important tribal ruled all aspects of activity. The cation through the missionaries
and family decisions made? How nobles had the widest family and other sources; some were
was a ch ief chosen, and by connections far and near along sent to the East Coast and be
whom? How was a successor Columbia River system. They came aware o f the advanced
chosen? Were family blood ties were well informed and had the and overwhelming civilizations
to certain ancestors necessary, skills and knowledge in the trade of the whites. Cases in point
or was a leader chosen based on system, and they also inherited w ere: H enry M eacham , Jo e
an overall opinion of his lead vast wealth through marriage Stw ire, M ission Jo h n , Rev.
trade connections. Those that Locksqissa and W illiam Chi
ership qualities?
If the community lost faith owned fishing stations were con nook.
Chinook was the W h ite’s
in its political structure, could sidered the most powerful of all.
It was the nobles who carried choice to be an assigned chief
they be removed from power,
or was the honor a life-long en out most o f the momentous who would keep Natives of the
titlement? How does the current customs of the Indian name giv older and wilder Wascos in com
political structure differ from ing, ear boring, first kills, a young pliance with government poli
girl’s first menstruating, and all cies.
that of your ancestors?
Chinook held this power be
other practicing customs of the
Answers given for The Orego Chinookan system. This is when cause of his education and his
wealth played an important role English-speaking abilities, and as
nian:
Each household or family for establishing their place in the a result he was assigned by the
W hites to be C h ief o f the
group of the Chinookan speak Chinookan high society.
The nobles were few. The Wasco. The Treaty provisions
ers were considered sovereign.
T hese C h inookan nations nobles suppressed the common state that the chiefs of the Con
branched out into different ers, and kept their children sepa federated Bands were to have a
nam es. T hese form ed, as it rated; this was done by the head house— one for each for the
were, so many sovereign groups flattening system and ear bor upper and Lower D eschutes
belonging to the same way of ing, and there were ceremonies bands of the Walla Walla and
one for the Wascopum band of
for all of these customs.
life and customs.
In the 1855 treaty councils Wascos— and to fence and plow
They were governed by the
heads of the.household, which at Hell Gate, Walla Walla, and ten acres for each chief.
Each chief would also have
are, in a manner, independent; Wasco (near the Dalles), which
nevertheless, all were ready to included all the Tribes of the a salary of $500.00 a year for
twenty years. (Second paragraph
of the Treaty provision, Article
4 of the 1855 Treaty.)
Joe Stwire is an individual of
interest.
Stw ire was raised from a
small child at the Wascopum
missions at The Dalles.
Stwire was sent to the East
Coast for further education to
attend the Columbia College. He
then became an ordained min
ister.
Returning to Oregon he was
then assigned a position to pas
tor the Portland Presbyterian
Church. When there was dissen
sion on the Yakama Reservation
he was assigned by powerful
men to be the Head Chief to
quell the troubles.
Chief Stwire’s Indian name
is “White Swan” and there is a
small town named after him on
the Yakama Reservation.
If the Wasco archaic tradi
tional heritage is considered for
the chieftainship, then some
nominated candidates would be
ineligible... Utilizing Wasco ar
chaic trad itio n al custom
method, however, is not practi
cal because of the many mod
ern issues that need to be ad
dressed.
A ccording
to
early,
documenters a democratic sys
tem in the early River people’s
way of life was never a concern.
So, the next Wasco Chief may
have to be elected and a voting
method utilized.
Our past along the great Co
lumbia River was the founda
tion for our current success as
traders and business peoples. It
is my hope the next W asco
Chief will assist in thrusting the
Warm Springs Confederated
Tribes into many successful ven
tures. Whomsoever he may be,
he will need all the lay tribal
memberships support for the
Confederated Tribes to succeed
during this distressing era.
For a hundred and fifty snow
melts the Columbia River People
stood afar and w atched the
Great River, landscape, and way
of life as River People languish.
Today, we, the Wasco are almost
no more, and we have learned
to live differently. As a result
o f this change we m ust also
change and conform to modern
technology and social structure
of the White Man. The Kiksht
pleasure-seeking society with a
fondness for entertainment and
leisure are almost no more. Our
form er h eritage is that o f
an easygoing, robust thriving
culture. The once pow erful
former civilization of the Co
lumbia River Chinookans will
someday survive only on the
white man’s talking paper.
Following is a short histori
cal account o f some o f the
Wasco Chieftainships.
During the life span of Chief
Daniel Katchia (Tipsu) he was
the p eo p le’s choice for the
Chieftainship. However, govern
ment officials did not condone
the people’s wishes.
Chief Daniel was considered
a hardcore thorn in the flesh by
the government officials. Chief
Daniel and five other practicing
ceremonialists were arrested by
the U.S. Army and were trans
ported to Fort Vancouver Stock
ade. A cco rd in g to an elder
Chief, Daniel spent time in a
dungeon (so litary co n fin e
ment?).
It is my conjecture Henry
Meacham may have been consid
ered a Chief. The conjecture is
based upon his receiving an edu
cation and taking a leading part
for representing the Warm Springs
Tribes during trips to Washington,
DC. in the late 1800’s.
(Continued on page 9)
H am ilton G reeley has re
searched the question o f the Wasco
chieftainship. A t The Dalles he
visited the Wasco County Histori
ca l Museum, Columbia Gorge
Discovery Center. There, Greeley
m ade copies fro m some o f the
books on file.
One o f the books was The
Handbook of North Ameri
can Indians, vol. 12: Plateau.
A nother was The Southern
Plateau: An Ecological Analy
sis of Intergroup Relations
(revised from Northwest An
th ro p o lo gical R esearch
Notes, vol. 6, no. 2 1972).
For the sake o f community
discussion, Greeley wishes to share
excerpts from the research . A t
his request the Spilyay is reprint
ing some o f the information. For
instance, an excerpt from the Pla
teau volume, regarding Wasco
groups at the Columbia, includes
the following:
The winter lodge was oc
cupied by an extended fam
ily unit under the recognized
leadership of a household
head, a senior man. Little
specific information exists as
to the precise composition of
winter lodges other than the
repeated assertion that all
occupants were of one “fam
ily” and that all co-resident
families freely shared all food
consumed within the house.
Membership in such winter
lodge groups varied from
year to year, with nuclear
families or hearth units free
to realign themselves with kin
who were resident in other
lodges or in other villages...
O ne to a dozen such
lodges erected in close prox
imity constituted a winter vil
lage. One or more outstand
ing men in each such village
were recognized as “chiefs.”
Chiefs (more accurately,
“village headmen”) were ex
pected to exhort their people
to hard work and proper con
duct, yet to do so in an ap
propriately dignified, quiet
manner. To this end, each
c h ie f was assisted by a
spokesman, who repeated the
chief’s exhortations in a com
manding voice. The village
chief’s authority was based
on proven talents and abili
ties, ideally combining gener
osity, eloquence, self-disci
pline, and devotion to the
welfare of his people.
The position of “chief”
was not strictly speaking he
reditary, but there was a rec
ognized “hierarchy of right”
by which the chieftainship
would normally pass from a
father to his sons, in order
of seniority, then to a brother
(or m ale cousin) (cf.
Murdock 1980:144). How
ever, many eligible individu
als declined or were passed
over for lack of the motiva
tion or talent judged neces
sary to fill the role. It is not
clear whether women in cer
tain unusual circumstances
might be recognized as chiefs.
Since the early twentieth
century a “salmon chief” has
been recognized at Celilo
Falls. His authority included
d eclarin g fish in g seasons
open and closed and order
ing that fishing stop for pur
poses of escapement or when
ritual required (e.g. for funer
als). The antiquity of this role
is not clearly attested....
From The Southern Pla
teau: An Ecological Analysis
of Intergroup Relations come
these statements:
The village had a leader
variously identified in the
sources as a headman, chief,
or subchief. His duties con
sisted of such things as de
ciding the movement of the
unit if on the move and de
ciding on a time to open hunt
ing and gathering seasons, if
necessary, to give all members
an equal chance. He was
knowledgeable in the ways of
his group and in the every
day activities of the members
of his group. He set the ex
ample for good behavior by
living up to the accepted stan
dards. He knew the behavior
o f his people in detail and
where each person was. Gen
erally, he did not interfere but
stood by with his knowledge
to advise when asked, or ad
monish when necessary.
The headman would en
tertain visitors and obtain
news o f the outside world
which he passed on to his
people. He might have as a
duty the task of arbitrating
disputes and o f punishing
v io lato rs o f o b ligato ry
norm s...
Inheritance of leadership
in the Plateau was subject to
the conditions of the bilateral
kinship system, which lacks
the structure to perm it a
clear-cut line of descent for
more than a few generations.
The order of inheritance can
be tentatively outlined. A son
in order o f birth from the
eldest most frequently suc
ceeded the chief, a brother
less frequently, and som e
times a brother’s or sister’s
son or son-in-law. A person
could refuse to accept office.
A chief could be deposed or
could resign. He might even
accept the chieftainship of
an o th er group (De Sm et
1905, Vol. 1:263, 323).
Succession to the role was
not automatic but was sub
ject to the approval of the
group and sometimes even
o f other gro u p s__ If the
person in line of descent was
not considered capable of
fillin g the office, another
might be chosen, even one
not related; it was possible for
an individual to achieve many
of the requirements for can
didacy. Along the eastern and
southern borders, achieve
ment was more im portant
than inheritance...