2
Smoke Signals
CHIEF KI-A-KUTS:
negotiator of treaties and Indian rights
Falls named
Continued from page 1
"It took a lot longer than we expected," says
Riverkeeper Lew Scholls. He admits the group
was "a little ill-prepared" for the sudden drop in
the valley floor which forced them to scale the
steep incline in and out of the falls' basin.
But he adds that the fall's discovery made for
"a significant emotional event" that punctuated
the journey and inspired Scholls to write a poem
that he read for the occasion.
The trip was so significant, in fact, that the
group had t-shirts made to commemorate their
pilgrimage and determined to find an appropri
ate name for the little-known falls.
"We thought it would be good to name it for
the Atfalati (the linguistic group of local
Kalapuyas) who lived in Tualatin a lot of
things around here are named after the Indian
tribes," explains Scholl.
He says he originally wanted to find the
Tualatin name for waterfalls but stumbled across
something that he liked even better while re
searching the history of area tribes.
"Then I saw the account of Ki-a-kuts and how
he was trying to save his people by keeping
whites from stealing his land and whipping his
children," he said.
The Riverkeepers then contacted the Grand
Ronde Tribe for permission to name the falls af
ter Chief Ki-a-kuts and, after more than a three
year wait for the Federal Geographic Names
Board to process the request, the Tribe was in
vited to oversee the naming of the falls.
The Riverkeepers formed in 1989 to help re
store and protect the Tualatin while fostering
public appreciation for river and local wildlife.
'We felt if people were going to care about river
protection and restoration we needed to get people
involved and educate as many citizens as pos
sible," says Scholl.
Since the group began with its first canoe
paddle trip down the Tualatin a decade ago, it
has mushroomed into an organization that hosts
scores of educational and recreational trips,
speaking engagements, river cleanups and tree
planting events.
The group also sports active public outreach,
member outreach and citizen action committees.
Asserting that, "I have lived a long time at this place,"
Chief Ki-a-kuts authoritatively negotiated on be
half of the Tualatin band of Kalapuyas both for a fair
treaty with the U.S. government and for his people's
rights.
On April 17, 1851, Ki-a-kuts and subordinate chiefs,
Le Medicine and Knolah, met with John Gaines and
other U.S. diplomats at the Champoeg Council Grounds
to negotiate a treaty.
The tribal delegation represented 30 men, 8 boys
and 27 women and female children, according to treaty
documents.
Chief Ki-a-kuts outlined the boundaries of what was
then Tualatin territory.
Negotiations began with Gaines asking the tribal
leaders to consider leaving their homelands in the
fertile Willamette Valley for an area east of Cascade
Mountains.
"We do not wish to remove," insisted Ki-a-kuts. "I
do not wish to reserve much here, but we do not
wish to remove from here."
He argued that Wapato Lake and the surrounding
area produced wapato and camas during the dry sea
son which his people needed to live on.
Instead the chief bartered for a reservation to be .
etched out within the boundaries of their original ter
ritory. When Gaines asked if the 20 white settlers living in
the area could remain, the Tualatins agreed.
But Ki-a-kuts and his people strongly opposed the
residency of two of the settlers named Dixon and
Bridgewater.
One is "a great liar," the chief said, and the other,
"mistreats my people and whips the women and chil
dren." Tualatin opposition to abuses committed by some
of their new neighbors'gave the chief an opportunity ,
to stress what was perhaps the main source of ten
sion between the two communities.
"I have been told ever since I have been here that
the whites would be made to stop whipping our chil
dren and stop mistreating my people, but there has
been but little change from that time to this," Ki-a-kuts
said. "The whites are not all alike though, some
of them do not ill treat us, and those I like and am
willing for them to remain and for them to make roads
and use them in our reserve."
Nevertheless, Gains and fellow U.S. representa
tives assured the people that a provision in the
treaty would be added to protect their rights and all
whites would obey the new law. They were also ad
vised that if they were friendly to the settlers and
avoided them, they would not be bothered.
Chief Ki-a-kuts reluctantly agreed to let Dixon and
Bridgewater stay under the condition that the treaty
provision be enforced. '
Both parties agreed to a 640 acre Tualatin reserva
tion that would have encompassed an area surround
ing the towns of Yamhill, Carlton and part of the river
that today bears their name.
When it was time to sign the treaty Gains recited
the agreement but omitted what for Ki-a-kuts was
one of the most important clauses.
"Yes! I agree to it" proclaimed the chief. "But I
recollect you promised to make Dixon quit lying and
Bridgewater stop ill treating my people."
He was again assured Tualatin rights would be pro
tected and the treaty was signed.
The Tualatin people were promised annual payments
totaling $40,000, clothing, supplies and training and
equipment for farming.
However, the U.S. officials added that their agree
ment could not be considered binding until it was rati
fied by Congress.
It never was. .
Congress refused to let Ki-a-kuts' tribe retain even
a small reserve in the rich and fertile Tualatin Valley
or pay $40,000 for the precious resource.
Federal Indian policy in the Northwest also called
for as few reservations as possible to facilitate early
American apartheid which sought to quell Indian-settler
tensions by isolating tribes from whites.
Four years later, in January 1855, Ki-a-kuts joined
the chiefs and headmen of otherKalapuya bands such
as the Winnefelly, Mohawk River, Chapen, Tecopa,
Santiam, Mary's River and Ahntchuyuk in signing a
joint treaty with the United States.
Together with other neighboring Willamette Valley
tribes, they ceded 7.5 million acres of territory from
the Columbia River to the Calapooia Mountains be
tween the coastal and Cascade mountain ranges for
no more than $200,000.
Ki-a-kuts and his people were among those who
moved to the Grand Ronde reservation.
Community Language
Meetings
The Tribe's Language Program will be conducting a series
of meetings regarding current and future language related
activities. These meetings will allow you to find out what
the tribe's language program is doing currently, and allow
you to provide valuable input on future activities. Share
this with friends and family members who would be inter
ested. Refreshments will be provided.
July 19 - BEND - 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Central Oregon Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas
July 26 - KEIZER - 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Nanitch Sahallie, 5119 River Road North
July 28 - EUGENE - 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The Ben Linder Room, Downstairs in the EMU,
Erb Memorial Union, University of Oregon
August 4 - GRAND RONDE - 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Governance Center, Classroom 204
A draft of the long-term Community Language Goals docu
ment will be presented for comment at this follow up meet
ing. For those interested but unable to attend this meeting,
the draft document will be available by mail for comment.
Please mnUti Tony Johnson for further information
at (503) 879-2084.
2nd Annual
Chinook Jargon Conference
Grand Ronde, Oregon August 13-15 (days)
kanamakwst ndsayka wawa
The Language Program of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will be hosting the
2nd Annual Chinook Jargon Workshop in Grand Ronde. Featured at the workshop
will be both opportunities to increase your abilities with spoken Chinook, and
presentations related to a variety of linguistic and historical aspects of Chinook Jargon.
Come and find out why Chinook is so important to the Grand Ronde community
and the Pacific Northwest, learn more about its Native origin and
help to re-integrate this important shared language.
RATES: $30.00 per attendee will cover workshop materials and the Saturday night
banquet. Tuition will be paid for the first ten tribal members who sign up.
More details are available from the Tribe's Language Program at
1800-422-0232 x2084 or by email at tony.johnsongrandronde.org