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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1999)
APRIL 1, 1999 5 This is last of the in-depth articles of the five tribes that make up the Grand Ronde Confederation. Smoke Signals hopes that tribal members have gained more knowledge about their specific tribe and its history, how their ancestors lived, and how they came to Grand Ronde. The Rogue River informa tion in this article was gathered from the Tribe's Cultural Resources Protection department. among Rogue River Takelmas. Gambling was also a favorite practice. But by the mid 1800s warfare would become the game of choice for many Takelma bands. THEY TIED BACK THEIR HAHU By the spring of 1852 the rush for gold caused hundreds of miners, packers and settlers to pour into the Rogue Valley bringing with them the boomtown of Jacksonville. That year a land dispute arose near present day Gold Hill between members of Chief Toquahear's band and Dr. George Ambrose who purchased the lot from the U.S. government without any conso lation from local tribes. Ambrose enlisted the help of several other set tlers hoping to negotiate a peaceful agreement but word got back to Jacksonville about the Indian's assertion that they would not let whites overrun the valley as they had done near Klammath. Indian Agent Alonzo Skinner headed off a troop of battle-ready volunteer militia men on their way from Jacksonville to confront Toquahear's band. He got both parties to agree to a peaceful confer ence at Table Rock. , At the meeting both sides stacked their weap ons aside for peaceful talks when a party of Cali fornia volunteers joined the party and a jurisdic tional dispute started. The California militia intended to arrest mem bers of Toquahear band for allegedly attacking their settlements. But Skinner, desperate to quell potential conflict, insisted they had no authority in Oregon territory and should stack their weap ons like the others. Violence ensued when the volunteers began seizing the arms the Indians had set aside for the talks. Twenty-four or more Takelma people were killed that day, according to a report in the Oregon Statesmen. Soon, Oregon militias were on the 'warpath.' "The cry was extermination of all the Indians by the whites," one of the volunteers later wrote. "The company began to break up into small com panies to go to different Indian (villages) to clean them out." Even Skinner later told his superiors that the Indians were without fault in the incident. Several days later peace was reestablished but in the summer of 1853 hostilities were again rag ing throughout Rogue Country. On August 16, three companies went in search of Chief Toquahear, his brother, Chief Apserkahar and sub-chief Anachaarah and their combined band of warriors. Twenty-two soldiers were split off to cover more territory and found the Takelma bands in a meadow near Evans Creek later that evening. They sent for reinforcements. But before help could come, the small but skillful Indian army nearly outflanked them, forced their retreat and made off with 18 horses and mules loaded with blankets, guns and ammunition. Other skirmishes were faring no better for whites. News of Rogue River Indian victories over encroaching settlers, gold digging miners and heknnMitias early that summer. It only took a couple of weeks before famed 'Indian fighters' from southwest Oregon and northwest California arrived in the territory and joined in the pursuit of the Takelma bands. But Rogue River Indians knew the harsh, brush-covered, stony mountains and foothills well. Combined with guerilla warfare tactics, the war riors put up a fight destined to mark the memo ries of their would-be captors. Two full battalions of volunteers were hot on their trail. The warriors felled trees across the trails, mak ing the already entangle underbrush more diffi cult to pass. On at least one occasion one of the trees was set on fire. Brush and dead trees in the surrounding foot hills were also burned to help stifle the pursuit. The pursuers were blinded and choked by smoke and delayed by blocked trails. But they were not stopped. The battalions eventually caught up with the Chiefs and their men at a campsite heavily forti fied with rocks and felled trees. Volunteers pinned down the warriors with a barrage of bullets but were unable to advance on the strategically cho sen site. After an hour of fighting Chiefs Toquahear, Apserkahar and Anachaarah sued for peace, pro claiming they were sick of war and would negoti ate a treaty at Table Rock. "The Indians, as soon as the firing ceased, car ried out water to our wounded men and furnished a party to assist in conveying the litters with our wounded for 25 miles through the mountains," wrote one of the soldiers. "This appears to be a new feature in Indian warfare." This new feature was a turning point for Toquahear who would keep his promise never to take up arms again. "Neither he nor his people want war nor do I believe they can be made to fight except in self defense," later wrote Ambrose. THE PRICE OF PEACE On September 10, a treaty was signed by "Joe (Aps-er-ka-har), principle chief, Sam (To-qua-he-ar) and Jim (Ana-cha-a-rah), subordinate chiefs, and others, headmen of the bands of Rogue River tribe of Indians " according to the treaty, signed on behalf of roughly 287 tribal members. They agreed to take up residence at a tempo rary reservation and were later moved to the Grand Ronde Reserve. In exchange they were to receive basic necessi ties such as blankets, clothing and land improve ments. They would also be paid $55,000 portioned out in annual payments less $15,000 "to pay for the property of whites destroyed by them during the war," according to an unratified treaty signed two days prior. Despite such claims, the war was profitable for many militia "volunteers." In 1853, $15,390 in wages and $107,287.20 for transportationmedical, ammunition and equip ment expenses were claimed from the U.S. gov ernment by these volunteers. Most of these miners were out of work due to a drought. " - ,; ,: ,. ,. , , .j&k top I ; fiV .7 '-: Chief Toquahear also known as "Sam" photo sketched at Oregon's Grand Ronde Agency when he arrived In 1856 by artist E. deGirardin. It has been suggested that much like Coyote's slander against Jackrabbit, some hoped to pro long the Rogue Wars in order to employ south west Oregon miners and exercise extermination policies. During Chief Toquahear's 1856 trek to the Grand Ronde Reservation his camp was attacked by a small group of militia vigilantes and a blind Elder was killed. The attack was carried out by a group "moving heaven and earth to break up the forces in the field and prolong the war," according to Ambrose's sources. When Toquahear and his people eventually ar rived in Grand Ronde they discovered things were not as they were promised. "The government (Uncle Sam) has not complied with any of these promises. We have waited and waited. ... We believe Uncle Sam intends to cheat us," the chief told agency officials. "We do not un derstand the way you act. With us we are born chiefs ... but you are only common men, and we never know how long you will hold your authority. "Captain Smith, U.S.A., Palmer, Metcalf, and others promised us that as soon as the war was over we would be permitted to return to our coun try," Toquahear continued. "When the last war broke out we were driven away from there (Table Rock). We never sold that land. If Uncle Sam in tends to keep it from us then let him pay us for it." To make things worse, when Toquahear's band made the trek to Grand Ronde, military protec tion was provided. It was necessary not just be cause of hostile whites, but because he also had a new enemy. Other Rogue River tribes regarded the Chief and his people as traitors because they refused to continue fighting. The threat was so menacing that the U.S. gov ernment relegated peaceful Rogue River bands to Grand Ronde and those bands that fought to the bitter end to Siletz, hoping to preserve inter tribal peace. Since those early days of reservation life tribes from around the country as well as the North west have united in their efforts to defeat count less enemies in such forms as termination acts and legislation hostile to Native Americans. On this common battlefield the Grand Ronde Tribe, bolstered by the legacy of its Rouge River Takelma heritage, has greatly contributed to past victories and will no doubt be instrumental in many victories to come. Scenic photo by M.C. Gentry, reprinted from In dian Battles Along the Rogue River, by Frank K.
