Quarterly Newsletter

Southern Oregon Historical Society uarterly Q Living with the Land: Native Peoples of Southern OregonMArch 2 5 pm by Dennis Gray and Jeff LaLande When the first miners and farmers came to the Rogue Valley they occupied lands that Native inhabitants, whose ancestors had come to North America 15,000 years (or more) earlier, long claimed as their own. These indig- enous groups included members of the Shasta who lived in the southern part of the Bear Creek Valley (including a main village where the Ashland Plaza is today), the River Takelma, who lived in winter villages along the Rogue Riv- (Above) Native groups er downstream from the Table Rocks, in the Rogue Valley/ and the Upland Takelma (or Latgawa), Bear Creek area. who mainly ranged from the Table Rocks upstream and along such tribu- taries as Little Butte Creek, Elk Creek, (Right) Jennie Jane, was the last and lower Bear Creek. Each of these Taklema Indian to live in Jackson- groups had similar cultural traits. ville. Prior to her passing in 1893 she prepared the elaborate Indian Although they regularly used burial robe shown here, a buckskin low-intensity fire to enhance the pro- dress to which was attached colored ductivity of food-gathering areas, nei- beads, sea shells, and transparent ther the Takelma nor Shasta practiced pebbles. what we know as agriculture, apart SOHS #1165 from growing tobacco from seed. In- stead they made their living in a “sea- in present-day Alaska or northwestern spot, which they considered their own sonal round” all across the landscape: Canada and migrated southward with- “private” property -- that is, special hunting game, gathering a wide variety in the past one thousand years or so. places that could be used by others of edible plants, catching and storing The Takelma, Shasta, and Da- only with permission. Each group large quantities of salmon. kubetede were organized into small tended to have its own “head man” To the west, in the Applegate groups that, during the winter, lived (generally the wealthiest older male), Valley, lived the Dakubetede; like in wood-plank lodges in semi-perma- and was basically independent of each groups living along the lower-Rogue nent villages along the river and major other in terms of political allegiance River and the Coast, the Dakubetede streams; in the warmer months they and control. Only later, in the face of spoke a dialect of the Athapascan then resumed their yearly round to language family. These Athapascan seasonal base camps in the uplands. (Continued on page 2) speakers are thought to be among the An extended family might have certain most recent arrivals to our area and places, such as a favorite acorn-gath- Masthead: Fifteen year-old Mae Nealon, one of apparently originated from somewhere ering oak grove or a particular fishing four sisters featured in the story on page 10. SOHS #20879 FALL 2017SPRING SOHS 2018 Newsletter 1 Peoples (Continued from page 1) White invasion, did Native people appear to develop the role of “chiefs” holding wider influence over a number of villages. A man customarily married a woman not from his own village, but Native American Baskets: These woven baskets from the from some other village -- even the Collections department Native village of a completely different lan- American collection are guage group. This practice helped representative of various tribes forge bonds of mutual assistance be- from northern California and southern Oregon. These pieces tween groups – something particularly date approximately from valuable during times of food shortage around 1900, and were most or other stress. After the groom had likely used as trade baskets.. paid a hard-bargained “bride price” SOHS Collection to her family, the woman would come to reside in her husband’s village. Child-rearing and many other tasks -- which included weaving beautiful (and even water-tight) baskets; digging up immense quantities of camas bulbs and their power might be either ben- individual’s social rank and acquisition and slow-cooking them in rock-heated eficial or harmful to an individual of material wealth (often in the form of “ovens” beneath the ground; grinding person. Having spirit power on one‘s exotic dentalia shells, traded from hun- bushels of acorns into powdery flour side could enhance a person’s hunting dreds of miles away on the northern and then laboriously using water to success, make for an easy childbirth, Northwest Coast). But this seeming leach out the flour’s bitter tannic acid or inflict ill health/injury upon an ene- “materialistic” outlook was more an – were the province of women. Men my. Channeling the power of various expression of how much spirit power hunted, fished, made certain tools, spirits, for good or for ill, was the goyo one possessed, that power made mani- traded, and fought enemies; in the (the Takelma term for a shaman) – a fest through success and wealth. winter, men spent much of their time specially endowed man or woman The Takelma and other Native peo- in each other’s company at the village’s whom we might today consider to be ple had many wonderful stories. As sweat lodge. part healer, part seer, and part magi- with so many Native stories, Coyote Takelma, Shasta, and Dakubetede cian. Being a goyo could be profitable was a favorite of such tales. Coyote’s people believed that their earthly (i.e., they were paid in return for their impatience, as well as his frequent world was inhabited by countless healing powers). It could also be lustful or gluttonous escapades (which unseen spirits, including spirits that dangerous: an unsuccessful shaman often ended with unfortunate conse- inhabited certain mountains, rock might be blamed by a family for an ill quences for him) became life lessons to outcrops, trees, animals, river eddies. relative’s death, and then be killed by a story’s listeners about the necessity The spirits could be very powerful, them. There was a strong focus on an for self-control and proper behavior. Among the many fascinating Takelma legends is that of Alwilamchaldis, the culture hero who, long ago, had come up the Rogue River, “making things better.” But, alas, he became an unruly sort, causing much conflict among the people. Thus, the spirit world turned Alwilamchaldis into Mt. McLoughlin, so that he could no longer provoke dis- agreement and hostility. On top of Mt. McLoughlin lived the mythic figure of Talsunne, or “Acorn Woman.” Each spring she came down from the snowy summit into the valley’s oak groves, Descendants of Southern Oregon Indians dressed in ceremonial regalia participating at the 1917 Siletz Indian Fair. Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (Continued on page 3) 2 FALL 2017SPRING SOHS 2018Newsletter Peoples (Continued from page 2) flinging pieces of her flesh onto Tecumtum: the trees’ branches -- magical flesh that grew into that year’s crop of The Chief Who Never Gave Up acorns. The huge vertical grooves visible near the base of the east face of Lower Table Rock (noticeable to Teccumtum ranks alongside other west-bound travelers on Table Rock great Native American resistance fig- Road when approaching the lower ures such as Tecumseh, Sitting Bull, Rock) were left by Beaver’s gigantic Crazy Horse, and Geronimo. But few incisor teeth, when he tried to gnaw have ever heard of him down Table Rock as a favor to the people. Much about the language, Known in the language of the Chasta social structure, and religious be- Costa people as “Elk Killer” -- American liefs of these cultures is lost to us. settlers and miners called him “Chief What we do know comes from the John,” “Old John,” and “Tyee [chief] John” accounts given by elders during the -- Tecumtum was the leader of one of a early twentieth century. Thus, what number of Athapascan-speaking groups we do know is owed to a few Takel- that occupied the Illinois Valley, lower- ma, Shasta, and Dakubetede elders most Rogue River, and coastal areas of Tecumtum in his final years who shared their still-acute memo- southwestern Oregon; he saw his home- ries with anthropologists a century land along Deer Creek (near present-day ago. It is truly precious information Selma) overrun with miners in the early to surrender. for us today to learn from and ap- 1850s. Between 1851 and 1854 he signed Tecumtum and his Chasta Costa preciate. three separate treaties with the US Gov- band were then removed to the Coast ernment in hopes of peace. With violence (Siletz) Indian Reservation where he unabated, Tecumtum moved his band for a challenged violations of treaty prom- brief period to the Table Rock Reservation, ________________ ises that were not being honored and across the Rogue River from the mouth of A note: In recent decades, the term “Ameri- demanded to return to his beloved Deer Bear Creek. can Indian” or “Indian” came to be considered Creek. On October 7, 1855, White militiamen “politically incorrect” or “insensitive” by When one of Tecumtum’s sons was attacked a band of peaceful Upland Takel- some people, who prefer to use the term “Na- shot dead by the government agent tive American.” However, many members of mas camped near the mouth of Little Butte during an arrest attempt, the old chief federally recognized Indian Tribes (note that Creek, bringing about the third and final roused his followers and threatened word Indian there) still prefer to be called Rogue River War. In response Tecumtum revenge. He was then arrested together “Indians,” in part because that is the term is said to have vowed to “fight till he died.” that was used in the treaties that established with another son condemned to im- He successfully stood off U.S.

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