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ranlinr - 4. Ii.(fI4O1 cl r9\ 5s C ' ETHNOGRAPHIC s'..L- tcH p' )T\' r SKETCH :sci41J OF THE f: Pr5T1 -11E1 L 1 ttc!f\\ \AKLAMATH /\MATII INI)IANJRE,SEThT y C: Et I. L/"° kt, INDIANS ckt1IPK / 41(chat,rc F % A" .. OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON N 'I S j bli C' ''U OX] by ALBERT SAMUELGATSCHET 4 I'VYA - I) S. C Cm DIP. TIMPEN '4?. .1 4f.thrth' DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U. 8. GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION J. W. POWELL IN CHARGE Ethnographic Sketch of THE KLAMATH I.XDIAKS op SOUTHWESTERN OREGON ALBERT SAMUEL GATSCHET An Extract from CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY, Vol.II, part I. WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1890 FACSIMILE REPRODUCTION 1966 THE SHOREY BOOK STORE 815 Third Avenue Seattle, Washington 98104 SJS # 118 ETHNOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF THE KALAMATH INDIANS FOURTH PRINTING Of Facsimile Reprint Limited to 150 Copies November 1973 ISBN # 0-8466-0118-4 (InPaper Covers) ISBN # 0-8466-2118-5 (InPublisher's LibraryBindings) CONTENTS Page Letter of Transmittal Vii Ethnographic sketch ix Introduction to the texts 1 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. SMiTHSONIAN INSTITUTION, BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY, Washington, D. C., June 25, 1890. SIR: I have the honor to transmit toyou my report upon the Kiamath Indians of Southwestern Oregon, the result of long and patient study.It deals with their beliefs, legends, and traditions, theirgovernment and social life, their racial and somatic peculiarities, and,more extensively, with their language.To this the reader is introduced bynumerous ethnographic "Texts," suggested or dictated by the Indians themselves, and accompanied by an interlinear translation and by "Notes,"a method which I regard as the most efficientmeans of becoming acquainted with any language.In this report I have given prominenceto the exposition of the language, because I consider language 'to be themost important monument of the American Indian.Archaology and ethnography aremore apt to acquaint us with fact$ concerning the aborigines, but language, when properly inves- tigated, gives us the ideas thatwere moving the Indian's mind, not only recently but long before the historic period. Repeated and prolonged visits to the people of thenorthern as well as of the southern chieftaincy haveyielded sufficient material to enable me to classify the language of both united tribesas belonging to a distinct family. In their territorial seclusion from thenearer Indian tribes they show anthro- pologic differences considerable enoughto justify us in regarding them as a separate nationality. There is probablyno language spoken in North America possessed of a nominal inflectionmore developed than the Kiamath, although in this particular, in the phoneticelements and in the syllabic reduplication pervading all parts of speech, it showsmany analogies with the Sahaptin 'Tn dialects.Tb analyth character of the language and its syntheticcharacter balance each other pretty evenly, much as they do in the twoclassic lan- guages of antiquity. Concerning the ethnography of both chieftainciesand the mythology of the Modoc Indians, I have gathered more materialthan could be utilized for the report, and I hope to publish it at a later day as a necessary sup- plement to what is now embodied in the two partsof the present volume. Very respectfully, yours, ALBERT S. (IATSCHET. Hon. J. W. POWiLL, Director of the Bureau of Ethnology. ETHNOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF THE KLAMATH PEOPLE. THE KLAEATIIINDIANS OFSOUTHWESTERN OREGON. B ALBERT S. GATSCRET. ETHNOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF THE PEOPLE INThODUCTION. The Kiamath people of North American Indians, the subject of this descriptive sketch, have inhabited from time immemoriala country upon the eastern slope of the Cascade Range, in the southwestern part of the territory now forming the State of Oregon.That territory is surrounded by mountain ridges and by elevations of moderate height, and watered by streams, lakes, marshes, and pond-sources issuing from the volcanic sands covering the soil.The secluded position of these Indians within their mountain fastnesses has at all1 times sheltered them against the inroads of alien tribes, but it has also withheld from themsome of the benefits which only a lively intercourse and trade with other tribesare able to confer. The climate of that upland country is rough and well known for itssudden changes of temperature, which inmany places render it unfavorable to agriculture.But the soil is productive in edible roots, bulbs, berries, and timber, the limpid waters are full of fish and fowl, andgame was plentiful before the white man's rifle made havoc with it.Thus the country was capable of supplying a considerable number of Indians with food, and they never manifested a desire to migrate or "be removed to a better country." The topography of these highlands, which contain the headwatersof the Kiamath River of California, will be discussedat length after a mention of the scanty literature existingupon this comparatively little explored tract of land. XI xii ETHNOGRAPHIC SKETCH. BIBLIOGRAPHY. The listhelow contains titles of books and articlesupon the two tribes of the Klamath people, whichare of scientific interest, whereas others, also mentioned in this list, are of popular interest only.Several of the latter I have never been able to inspect personally.During the Modoc war a large number of articles appeared in the periodicalpress, expatiating upon the conduct of that war,the innate bravery of the Indian, the cruelty of the white against the red race, and other commonplace topics of thissort.As the majority of thesewere merely repetitions of facts with which every reader of the politicalpress was then familiar, I did not secure the titles of all of these articles. ARMY AND NAVY JOURNAL: A weekly periodical published in New York from 1863 to 1880.4°.During the Modoc war of 1872-1873 many strategic articles appeared in it upon thecon- duct of that war, composed by a specialist. ATWELL, WILLTAM: War correspondent of the periodical "Sacramento Record" at the time of the Modoc war.Mentioned in Note to Texts (p. 48). BLNCROFT, HUBERT Howjj: In section: "The Nbrthern Californians" (Vol. I,pp. 326-361) of "Native Races," where the Klamath Lake and Motloc tribesare reFirred to in connec- tion with other tribes.Notes and literature, pp. 443, 444. Remark on the IClamath language; list of numerals.In "Native Races," Vol. III, p. 640.(San Francisco, Cal., 1882.8°.) BLAND, P. A.: Life of Alfred B. Meacham, together with his lecture, "The tragedy of the lava beds," delivered in Park Street Church, Boston, Mass.Illustrated by seven portraits.Washington, 1883.8°.48 pp.(Published by the author.) CLARK, W. C.: Vocabulary of the Modoc of Southern Oregon.Manuscript, 12 pp. 4°.Collected in 1878 at Yaneks.In the Library of the Bureau of Ethnology. CLARKE, WILLIAM J.: Rock piles and ancient dams in the Kiamath Valley.American Antiquarian, 1885, pp. 40, 41.(Refers to the obstructions in the river at Linkville, etc.) DRAKE, SAMUEL U.: The Aboriginal Races of North America, etc.Fifteenth edition.By Professor Williams. New York, 1880.8°.Appendix: TheMottoesatni the Modoc War, pp. 707-714. BIBL100RAPIIY. xl" FIELDS, CAPTAIN, U.S. ARMi: The Modoc War. The causes which led to it and the resnitB.Correspondence of the Constitution, Atlanta, Ga., Sundays, October 13 and 20, 1889. FREMONT, COL. J. C.: The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California, etc. New York and Auburn, 1856.Small 8°.456 pp. anti map.(May, 1842, to August, 1844.)Klamath Country of Oregon, pp. 283-294.Snake Indians, p. 297.Summer Lake, p. 290.Abert Lake, p. 292.(Passed only through the eastern palt of the country and from Kiamath Marsh northward.) GABB, DR. WILLIAM M.: - Vocabulary of the Klamath of Southern Oregon. MS. 10 leaves.4°.150 words. Collected by means of the Chinook Jargon in 1864.In the Library of the Bureau of Ethnology. GLTSCRET, ALBERT S.: Adjectives of color in Indian Languages.In American Naturalist, XLII, pp. 475-485.Philadelphia, 1879. The same was, with few changes only, published in German under the head. jug: "Farbenbenennungen in nordamerikaniachen Sprachen."In Zeit.schrift für Ethnologic, Vol. XI, Berlin, 1879.1'he first of the seven languages spoken of is the Klamath of Oregon. Sketch of the Klamath language of Southern Oregon.In Amer. Antiquarian, I, pp. S1-84.(1878-1879.) Mythologic text in the Klamath language of Southern Oregon, with transla- tion and comments.Ibid., I, Pp. 161-166. The uumeial adjective in the Klamath language of Southern Oregon.Ibid., Ii, pp. 210-217.(1879-1880.) Volk und Sprache der Maklaks im sUdwesthicben Oregon.In Globus, ihlustr. Zeitsebrift 1. Läutler- and Völkerkunde, Vol. 35, No. 11, pp. 167-171 utid 187-189.4°.Jirauuscb weig, 1879. Three short texts were published in the First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, Washington, 18'1.Imp. 8°.pp. 583-587, with commentaries: Details of a conjurer's practice; The Relapse; Sweat Lodges.(They are also embodied in the author's Report, under "Texts." BADLEY, LEWIS F.: - Vocabulary of the Modoc. Manuscript in three blank books, on 34 unpaged leaves.4°.In the Library of the Bureau of Ethnology. BALE, HORATiO: Etbnograpby and Philology of the United States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838-1842, under the command of Charles Wilkes, U. S. Navy. This work forms Vol. VI of the report of that expedition, anti was published Philadelphia, 1846.4°.It contains about 190 words of the "Lutuarni" or Klamath language, pp. 570-629. The words which Mr. Hale obtained for father, nine, yes, dead show tuat his informant was a Kiawath Lake and not a Modoc Indian. xiv ETHNOGRAPHIC SKEI'OH. JACKSON, WILLIAM HENRY: Photographs of KLamath Lake and Modoc Indians were taken by him, and the subjects described in his Descriptive Catalogue of the Photographs of the U.