Smoke signals., March 01, 2008, Page 8 and 9, Image 15

8 MARCH 1,2008
Smoke Signals
Smoke Signals 9
MARCH 1,2008
26 ribeSj Eands make up (jrand Kpnde confederation
Tribal member
EirikThorsgard
By Eirik Thorsgard
Tribal Cultural Protection Coordinator
The first documented contact
between western Oregon Tribes
and Euro-Americans occurred in
1805.
By 1813, Pacific Fur Trading Co.
traders led by Donald McKenzie en
tered into
the Wil
lamette Valley.
Looking
for eco
nomic op
portunities for Pacific
Fur, they
pushed
through
into the
U m p q u a
Basin and
Rogue Valley in the early 1800s.
Over the course of the next 20
years, contact with traders occurred
until the 1830s when the first set
tlers and missionaries entered the
Willamette Valley.
Just before this arrival of Euro
American settlers, epidemic dis
eases of smallpox, tuberculosis,
influenza and malaria, among other
diseases, infiltrated the Tribes of
western Oregon. These epidemics
were catastrophic for the indig
enous Tribes.
It has been estimated that the
population loss from these diseases
ranged between 50 percent to 90
percent. The exact numbers are
unknown, but through taking in
comparison data from the Clacka
mas Tribe, an estimate can be
established.
Lewis and Clark estimated that
the population of the Clackamas
Tribe in 1805 was about 3,500
people. By 1855, the population
had dropped to 77, and by 1877
the number stood at 55, placing
the overall population loss at about
98.5 percent.
It should be noted that the esti
mates of population by the Lewis
and Clark expedition were most
likely under-representative of the
actual population numbers and
that the epidemics may have killed
off as much as 99 percent of the
population.
Some evidence indicates that the
population of the Kalapuya before
contact may have been between
10,000 and 20,000 members with
only 8,831 surviving in 1831 and,
by 1810, a mere 600 surviving the
population losses from disease.
This population loss accounts for
up to a 97 percent mortality rate
from diseases.
Jason Lee, an early Methodist
preacher, wrote about the popu
lation loss caused by disease. He
wrote that Capt. John Dominis of
the Hudson Bay Company was to
blame for the diseases that killed
off 30,000 Kalapuyans before Lee's
arrival in 1831.
Negotiations with the Tribes of
the Willamette Valley regarding
relocation and cessation of their
traditional lands began with Anson
Dart in 1851.
The treaties with Dart relegated
the Tribes to areas within their
traditional homelands, retaining
traditional hunting and gathering
areas, often in areas with settlers
in proximity. However, none of
the treaties negotiated with Dart
were ratified by Congress because
he was replaced while under way
with negotiations. Then, in 1843,
Oregon Trail officially opened until
1845, bringing in large numbers of
settlers into western Oregon.
In 1850, the Donation Land Act
opened up the traditional lands of
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde before the treaties were
negotiated.
In 1853, Joel Palmer, the new
agent, began renegotiating with
the Tribes and by the first week of
January 1855 had signed treaties
with the Willamette Valley Bands
and Tribes, as well as those in the
Umpqua Basin and Rogue Valley.
All of the Tribes signing the trea
ties were relocated to the Grand
Ronde Agency near present-day
Grand Ronde.
The negotiations with Palmer ef
fectively removed almost all of the
traditional hunting and gathering
places and were highly biased in
favor of the U.S. government. Re
locations of the Tribes continued
through the 1850s and Fort Yamhill
soldiers in charge of the reservation
were often called upon to find and
reclaim indigenous groups and in
dividuals who left the reservation
looking for food or work.
In all, 26 different Tribes and
Bands were relocated from their
ancestral lands to the Grand Ronde
Agency. Some of the Tribes that
were relocated did not have treaties
ratified by Congress.
The Tribes and Bands relocated
to the Grand Ronde Agency were:
Tualatin Kalapuya
Marysville Kalapuya
Muddy Creek Kalapuya
Long Tom Kalapuya
Yamhill Kalapuya
Luckiamute Kalapuya
Calapooia Kalapuya
Mohawk Kalapuya
Winnefella Kalapuya
Santiam Kalapuya
Tekopa Kalapuya
Chafan Kalapuya
Yoncalla Kalapuya
Umpqua
Cow Creek Umpqua
Thomas Band Chinook
(Oregon City)
Williams Band Chinook
(Oregon City)
Johns Band Chinook
(Oregon City)
Clackamas Chinook
(Oregon City)
Santiam Molalla
Southern Molalla
Rogue River
Shasta
Salmon River Tillamook
Nehalem Band of Tillamook
Nestucka Band of Tillamook
VV.A S 1-1 I N C '1
i' K K V. IT O K Y
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DIAGRAM
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The Treaties and those who
signed them both unratified and
ratified by Congress were:
Unratified Treaties
April 11, 1851, at Champoeg, San
tiam Kalapuya. Signers were Ti-a-can
or Louis, 1st Chief; Alquema
or Joseph, subordinate Chief; and
Sophan, subordinate Chief.
April 17, 1851, at Champoeg,
Tualatin Kalapuya. Signers were
Ki-a-kut, 1st Chief; Le Medicine,
subordinate Chief; and Knolah,
subordinate Chief.
April 24, 1851, at Champoeg,
Yamhill Kalapuya. Signers were
Yahwhos or Thomas, 1st Chief;
Estol-e-ah or Henry, subordinate
Chief; and Ai-tip or Antoine, sub
ordinate Chief.
April 30, 1851, at Champoeg,
Luckiamute Kalapuya. Signers
were Daboe or Jim, 1st Chief;
Scho-la-que or John, subordinate
Chief; and Nuh-Kow, subordinate
Chief.
Ratified Treaties
Sept. 8, 1853, at Table Rock (Fort
Lane area), Applegate Creek Bands
of the Rogue River. Signers were
Ahs-er-ka-har or Jo, 1st Chief; Lo-qua-he-ar
or Sam Wilder, subordi
nate Chief; and Ana-chah-a-rah or
Jim, subordinate Chief.
Sept. 19, 1853, Umpqua Cow
Creek. Signers were Quin-ti-oo-san
or Bighead, 1st Chief; My-n-e-letta
or Jackson, subordinate
Chief; Tom, son of Quin-ti-oo-san,
subordinate Chief; and Tal-sa-pe-er
or Tom, subordinate Chief.
Nov. 15, 1854, at Evans Creek
Table Rock, Rogue River. Sign
ers were Ap-sa-ka-hah or Joe,
1st Chief; Ko-ko-ha-wah or Sam,
2nd Chief; Sambo, 3rd Chief;
Te-cum-tum or John, 3rd Chief;
Te-wah-hait or Elijah, 3rd Chief;
Cho-cul-tah or George, 3rd Chief;
Telum-whah or Bill, 3rd Chief;
Hart-tish or Applegate John, 3rd
Chief; Qua-his or Jake, 3rd Chief;
Tom, Henry and Jim.
Nov. 1 8, 1854, at Applegate Creek
where it meets the Rogue River,
Quilsieton and Nahelta bands of
the Chasta. Signers were Jes-tul-
tut or Little Chief, Ko-ne-che-quot
or Bill, Se-sel-chetl or Salmon
Fisher, Bas-ta-shin signed for
Kul-ke-am-ina or Bushland, and
Chief Jo of the Graves Creek
Band of the Chasta.
Nov. 29, 1854, at Calapooia Creek
in Douglas County, Umpqua and
Kalapuya living in the Umpqua
Valley. Signers were Napesa or
Louis Nepissank, Injice or Feter
McCoy, Tasyah or General Jack
son, Bogus, Nessick, Etnama or
William, Cheenlenten or George,
Nasyah or Chief John Chamber
lain, Absaquil or Chenook, Jo
and Tom.
First week of January 1855 the
following people signed the Wil
lamette Valley Treaty in Dayton
Tualatin Band of Kalapuya: Ki
akuts, Ie Medicine and Yatshaw
or Wapato Dave; Yamhill Band
of Kalapuya: Shaph Shelkeah or
Peter Sulkey and Chaah; Chelu
kimuke Band of Kalapuya (most
likely Luckiamute Band): Dabo,
John and Yahkow; Chepenapho
(Marysville) Band of Kalapuya:
Amo and Himpher; Chemapho
Band of Kalapuya: Mamahmo
and Chacheclue; Chelamela (Long
Tom) Band of Kalapuya: Lucka
mafoo, Hootil, Ohno and Quine
flat; Molalla Tribe: Quinquaty,
Yalkus and Kowkama; Calapooia
Band of Kalapuya: Kilea and
Kowahtough; Tekopa Band of
1 864 map courtesy of
Cultural Resources Department
Kalapuya: Yackatee, Tophor and
Docter Hallabc; Chafan Band of
Kalapuya: Pulkta; Tumwater
Band of Walla Wallas (Cascade):
Tumwalth and Obanahah; Clack
amas: Watchano, Teapinick and
Wallahpicote; Tumwater Band
of the Willamette or Clowewalla:
Lal-Bick or John Kawache and
Cuckamanna; and Santiam Band
of the Kalapuya: Towyecolla,
Yelkma or Joseph Hutchins, La
ham or Marysville Tom, Joseph
Shangaretta, l'ullican, Tena,
Yeptah, Satinvose, Pulkuptima,
Sallaf and Hoipkenek. B