Siletz
The Siletz were an Indian tribe living in what is now the US state of Oregon . Culturally they belonged to the coastal Salish , of which they were the southernmost representative, and they spoke the Lekwungen dialect. The meaning of the name is not known.
From 1856, after the Rogue River Wars , they were resettled along with numerous other tribes to a reservation that was gradually reduced in size and finally dissolved in 1956. It was not until 1977 and 1980 that the Confederate tribes were able to enforce recognition as an Indian tribe and a new reservation. Today the eponymous Siletz have risen from the Confederate tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon .
history
Early history
The Siletz, who lived south of the Columbia , built canoes of the type that the Chinooks also built. Their livelihoods were fishing, as was customary for all coastal Salish groups, but their area did not offer any salmon deposits . Their typical arch was made of the wood of the Pacific yew , a tree species native to Alaska and California . The hunt for bigger game like elk was done through pitfalls.
Reserve, epidemics, dissolution of the reserve and the tribal group
The Siletz were resettled in the Siletz Reservation , but they did not succeed in adapting to the imposed rural way of life. In addition, contacts with whites often had catastrophic consequences. The first count in the reserve showed that only 21 Siletz were still alive. They probably no longer existed as a tribe around 1890, but in 1930 there were still 72 individuals who were considered to be Siletz. They lived with various other tribes who belonged to six different language groups that had been shipped to the new reservation after the Rogue River Wars , especially from 1856 , and into which they were absorbed.
The reservation, established on November 9, 1855, was intended to accommodate all Indians who were considered prisoners of war in these wars and was named Coast Reservation . As early as 1860 it was usually called "Siletz". For some tribes that were kept spatially separated, sub-agencies of the Indian agency were created . In the first year of the reserve, hundreds starved or died of disease. The reservation management functioned so badly that there were disputes over distribution that led to around 100 deaths by 1859. To end the fighting and to keep the Indians from fleeing the reservation, two forts were built: Fort Hoskins in Kings Valley and Fort Yamhill near Valley Junction, which was abandoned in 1866. Fort Umpqua, built during the Rogue River Wars at the mouth of the Umpqua River , was abandoned in 1862. In addition to the illnesses and the catastrophic supply situation, the Siletz also remembered the constant harassment of their wives by members of the army and militia.
From 1865 onwards, several decrees reduced the reserve from 1,383,000 acres at the beginning to 7,900 by the time the reserve was dissolved in 1954. From the 1870s onwards, Methodists in particular were active as missionaries. From 1879 the children were sent to a reserve school where only English was allowed. By 1900 the languages of the original tribes were already extinct. It was not until 1871 that the whipping stake was removed by the Indian agent and General Joe Palmer, who punished Indians who were considered rebellious.
The chiefs were robbed of their influence and replaced by elected councils and juries (juries).
In the 1930s, the Siletz sued for reparation for the area taken from them before the United States Court of Claims (Case No. 45230). In April 1935, of the 233 Indians on the Siletz Reservation, only 53 voted in favor of the Indian Reorganization Act and 123 against.
In 1956, Congress declared that there was no longer any Indian tribe in western Oregon. With that, 43 tribes disappeared in one fell swoop. The Indians, who mostly lived in subsistence farming, were now supposed to pay taxes, which accelerated the emigration and sale of their property.
Recognition of the tribal group
In the autumn of 1973 around 200 Siletz met and formed a council. They demanded the return of the tribal status and stipulated that a blood quantum , i.e. a minimum number of Indian ancestors or a corresponding “blood percentage” of one eighth, should be sufficient to achieve this status. On November 18, 1977, the Confederated Tribes received Indian Tribe Recognition, which President Jimmy Carter signed. On October 4, 1980, the tribal group now called the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon received a new reservation in Lincoln County that spanned 3,630 acres .
To this day, the Siletz Restoration Powwow is celebrated every year in the second half of November , a celebration in memory of the restoration of the reserve.
Current situation
In 2006 there were around 4,400 people on the tribal roll. The tribe has operated the Chinook Winds Casino since 1995 , which was expanded significantly in 2005, and a golf course with an attached hotel and camping complex called the Chinook Winds Golf Resort in Lincoln City . There is also a hospital, the Siletz Community Health Clinic . In 2007 the tribe took on the task of managing the New Carissa Oil Spill Natural Resource , which is primarily intended to protect the rare Marmelalk ( marbled murrelet ).
literature
- Robert H. Ruby, John A. Brown: A guide to the Indian tribes of the Pacific Northwest (= The Civilization of the American Indian Series . Vol. 173). Revised edition. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK et al. 1992, ISBN 0-8061-2479-2 , p. 202.
Web links
- Website of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon
- Siletz Indian Tribe, legal collection
- Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians