4 JUNE 15, 2004
Special Edition
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Joel Palmer, Indian agent at the time of the 1 855 trea
ties, believed Indian culture needed to be changed,
but still objected to the continuing atrocities against
Indians in Oregon.
Tribe of Indians" with government agents who
anticipated ending Indian "title to the land" and
moving the remaining members to Eastern Or
egon. Judge Alonzo A. Skinner, a federally
appointed negotiator, delivered this ad
dress to the Yamels, who were all there
and at the time consisted of "65 men
women and children" (126-127 The
Kalapuyans): "Brothers: Long since,
when the whites first came to this coun
try, they were but few in numbers, weak,
worn out and dispirited by the hardships
of a long and fatiguing journey. Your
people were then as numerous as the
leaves of the Forest and as plentiful as
the grass on the Prairies; and were very
powerful. Instead of treating the whites
harshly and driving them from the coun
try, as you had it in your power to do. You
received them kindly, and permitted
them to live in peace among you.
"The whites have now become numer
ous and powerful, and you are weak and
feable sic. Our Great Father has seen,
with much pleasure, your friendship and
good conduct towards his white children
in this country, and has sent us here to
assure you of his kind regard and of his
disposition to protect you in the enjoy
ment of your rights. "
"But as your numbers have become so
much reduced and your power so much
weakened, that you do not, now, need,
and cannot now, render available, for
the promotion of your welfare and hap
piness, so large a quantity of land as you
possess; and as there is much danger of
your being injured, and your rights vio
lated by your continuing to live among
the whites, your great Father, thinks it
would be better for both you and his
white children, that you and they should
live separate and apart" (127 The
Kalapuyans).
"This was one of the last times the Bands came
together as a group," said Olson.
The Yamels, led by their "principal cheif (sic),
Yah-whos alias Thomas," proposed keeping the
land from the mouth of the Yamhill River up to
the junction between north and south forks,
then along the south fork to the headwaters,
then west to the summit of the Coast Range,
then west to the main south fork of the "Luck a
miute River," and following the Luck a miute to
its entrance into the "Wallamette River." The
territory included about 30 square miles.
In the bargaining process, the Yamels agreed
to allow whites to retain the lands they had al
ready claimed on this area, but when Judge
Skinner went to look at the land parcel, he
found some 30 white families already living on
the land, and with each entitled to a square mile,
that left the Indians nothing at all in that area.
Judge Skinner proposed a reserve about seven
miles to the west (130 The Kalapuyans).
"Yah-whos said that up towards the moun
tains there was too much Snow, and that the
old men & women knew where the Kamis, and
wappatoo grew in this place they wished to re
serve, and did not wish to leave it" (131 The
Kalapuyans).
As the bargaining continued, Judge Skinner
added seven houses "good, substantial Log
Houses" to the price the government would pay
for the land (132 The Kalapuyans).
After sleeping on the proposal, which as yet
included unspecified payment for the land be
ing ceded, Yah-whos came back and "Said it was
hard to get his people to consent to leave this
place, that in it were the graves of their Fathers,
Mothers & relatives & 'friends; and that they
all looked to it as their home; and that if they
left there, the graves of their friends would be
destroyed" (132 The Kalapuyans).
The Judge promised that the graves would
be protected, and continued the negotiations
with a bid of $28,000 for the Tribe over 20 years,
with each annual payment amounting to $300
cash plus clothing, farm implements and the like,
plus the seven houses, plus at the first payment
"ten good Rifle Guns, and three good Indians
Horses, and the Horses to be for the Cheifs sic."
Compare that with the $19,700 (124 The
Indians of Western Oregon) that the commis
sioners and their staff spent for food, lodging
and salaries for five weeks worth of negotiating
at Champoeg.
On May 2, 1851, the Treaty was signed.
Unbeknownst to either side in the negotia
tions, "On February 27, 1851, even before the
Champoeg sessions began, Congress abolished
all special Indian Commissions and transferred
to the Superintendent of Indian Affairs (and
his agents) the power to make treaties. Infor
mation to this effect was received in Oregon
'About the time the last of the six treaties was
concluded...'" (151 The Kalapuyans).
In 1853, when Joel Palmer was named In
dian agent for the area, the negotiations were
started again. Palmer "was faced by increasing
demands of the settlers that the Indians be re
moved from the Valley" (151 The
Kalapuyans).
The following year, he observed: "From the
frequent recurrence of similar atrocities against
the Indians in southern and southwestern Or
egon, the conviction is forced upon me that a
premeditated and combined effort on the part
of reckless and evil-disposed whites roaming
through that country has been, and continues
to be made, to plunge the government into an
other Indian war, and to carry out their favor
ite scheme of annihilating those Indians."
In this next round of treaties, finalized Janu
ary 4, 1855, the Yamels and 14 other bands,
including Kalapuyans, Mollalas and Santiams,
ceded all land holdings in the Willamette Val
ley, "(p)rovided however that said Bands be per-
tj '."
Photo courtesy of :, ' I
CTGR Cultural t f
Resources, C, I .,
Smithsonian ; ,f-'t "H
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Louisa Selkey,
wife of Peter Selkey
mitted to remain within the limits of the coun
try ceded, and on such temporary Reserves as
may be made for them by the Superintendent
of Indian Affairs, until a suitable district or coun
try shall be designated for their permanent home,
and proper improvement made thereon; and pro
vided that the United States make proper provi
sion for the security of their persons and prop
erty from the hostile attacks of Indians of other
Tribes and bands" (160 The Kalapuyans).
Chiefs of the Yamels at this time were: Shap
h or William, Shel-ke-Oah or David and Cha-ah
or Jepe (158 The Kalapuyans).
Annual payments ($10,000 a year for the first
five years; $8,000 a year for the second five
years; $6,500 a year for the third five years; and
$5,500 a year for the fourth five years) prom
ised for the lands for twenty years "shall be ex
pended for the use and benefit of the confeder
ated Bands, under the direction of the President
of the United States who may from time to time
at his discretion determine what properties
thereof shall be expended for such objects as in
his judgment will promote their well being and
advance them in civilization; for their moral im
provement and education; for building, open
ing and fencing farms, breaking land, provid
ing stock, agricultural implements, seeds, etc.;
for clothing; provision and tools; for medical pur--
poses, providing mechanics and farmers, and for
arms and ammunition" (160-161 The
Kalapuyans).
With the agreements signed, the other shoe
dropped: Reservations, including the "Grand
Rhonde," were created and regulations stipulated
a daily roll call for reservation Indians applied
so that "(a)ny Indian found outside of his desig
nated temporary reservation, without being able
to satisfactorily account therefore, shall be ar
rested and retained in custody so long as shall
be deemed necessary...." (167 The
Kalapuyans).
Although the on-going tragedy of the Yamels
seemed over as the 20th Century rolled around,
the devastation continued for nearly 150 years.
Today, our Cultural specialists believe, the tri
umph of this indomitable spirit remains alive in
the Grand Ronde Confederation. Many of lin
eages have been lost, it is true, but the blood of
the Yamel Bands lives here still, and the hearts
of a people that date back to the beginning of
human time, today beat to the tune of a new
day.