AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF DennisJ.Gray for the degree of Master of Arts in Interdis- ciplinary Studies in the co-departments of Anthropology, History and History presentedon May 3, 1985 Title: The Takelma and Their Athapascan Kin:an Ethnographic Synthesis of Southwestn Oregon Abstract approved: `azl'Z--emul David Brauner This study is a synthesis of the available ethnographic and relevant archaeological data pertaining to the Native American groups who formerly occupied the upper Rogue River drainage of southwesternOregon. The information presented in this synthesis concerns thematerial,social and religious aspects of aboriginal life as practiced by the Takelma of the Rogue River Valley, and their culturally akin Athapascan- neighbors,the Da-ku-be-te-de (Applegate River group) and the Tal-tuc-tun-te-da (Galice Creekgroup). The ethnographic material is representative of the time period immediately prior to the subjugation of these NativeAmericans,and their subsequent removal from southwestern Oregon in the 1850s; however,this synthesis has applications to a much greater time period in regional prehistory. Significant newinformation,extracted from the field notes of J. P. Harrington, Melville Jacobs and P. E. Goddard, adds to what has already been published concerning the lifeways of these Native American cultures,as well as clarifying territorial boundary questions in the region. This study is intended to aid and facilitate the anthropological research of southwestern Oregon prehistory, as well as to propose new directions for future research. The Takelma and Their AthapascanKin: an Ethnographic Synthesis of Southwestern Oregon by Dennis J. Gray A THESIS submitted to Oregon StateUniversity in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies CompletedMay 3, 1985 CommencementJune 1986 APPROVED: Associate Professorof Anthropology in chargeof major t ,LU66.*,.., A1ssociate Professor of Landscape Architecture in charge of co-field Chairperson of the Departmentof Anthropology Deanof GlIaduate Date thesis is presented: May 3, 1985 Typed by Margaret Edgar and Diane Forster for Dennis J. Gray ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wantto thank myfriends and colleagues who gave of their time and energy to review earlier versions of this paper; Janet Joyer, KathrynWinthrop, JeffLalande, David Brauner and ThomasMcClintock. Thanks also to Robert Winthropfor his guidance in thefield ofcultural anthro- pology and access to his knowledge andlibrary. I would also like to acknowledge my debt to the late Tom Hogg of Oregon State University for his friendship and support, which allowed me to begin my studies inanthropology. I am partic- ularly grateful to JeffLalande,not only for his time- consuming editorial review, but also for his continual interest and enthusiasm in this project. Withlove, my gratitude goes toJane,Jason and Erin VanDyke, for their patience and understanding. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. PHYSICAL SETTING 8 2.1 GEOLOGY 8 2.2 CLIMATE 12 2.3 VEGETATION 14 3. BIOGRAPHIC DATA 17 3.1 THE ENTHNOGRAPHERS 19 3.2 NATIVE AMERICAN INFORMANTS 24 4. TERITORIAL BOUNDARIES 30 4.1 UPLAND TAKELMA 31 4.2 LOWLAND TAKELMA .37 4.3 NORTHERN TAKELMA 43 4.4 APPLEGATE/GALICE CREEK ATHAPASCANS 46 5. THE TAKELMA 49 5.1MATERIAL CULTURE 49 Clothingand PersonalAdornment 49 Basketry and Domestic Implements 53 Food Gathering and Preparation 56 Fishingand Hunting Techniques 61 Transportationand Trade 65 Warfare 67 Games and Music 69 5.2 SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 70 Habitations 71 The Community 74 The Region 75 5.3 SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 76 Slavery 78 Law 79 5.4 CEREMONIES 80 Birth 80 Puberty 81 Marriage 82 Death 83 Subsistence and Warfare 85 5.5 RELIGION 86 SupernaturalBeings 86 Charms 88 Shamanism 89 6. THE GALICE/APPLEGATE ATHAPASCANS 92 6.1 MATERIAL CULTURE 93 Clothingand PersonalAdornment 93 Basketryand DomesticImplements 95 Food Gathering and Preparation 96 Fishing and Hunting Techniques 98 Transportation and Trade 101 Warfare 103 Games and Music 104 6.2 SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 105 Habitations 105 The Community 108 The Region 109 6.3 SOCIAL ORGANIZATION ill Slavery 111 Law 112 6.4CEREMONIES 112 Puberty 112 Death 113 Subsistence 113 Wealth-Display 113 6.5RELIGION 114 Shamanism 114 Formulists 114 Beliefs 115 7. CONCLUSIONS 117 Territoriality 117 Settlement Patterns 121 Subsistence Activities 123 Society and Religion 124 BIBLIOGRAPHY 127 APPENDIX 1. 132 Aboriginal Place Names, Natural Features and Village Sites of the Upper Rogue River Drainage APPENDIX 2. 157 Takelma Material Culture APPENDIX 3. 163 Ethnobotanical List and Associated Plant Species of the Upper Applegate Valley APPENDIX 4. 170 Takelma Myths LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 1.Location map:southwestern Oregon 9 2.Frances Johnson 25 3. Linguisticrelations in southwestern Oregon 32 (after Schaefer1959, Loy 1975) 4. Territorialboundaries in southwestern Oregon 33 5."Lady Oscharwasha" 52 6.Upland Takelma place name locations 140 7. Lowland Takelma place name locations 147 8.Galice/Applegate placename locations 150 LIST OF TABLES Table pie 1.Climatological Data 13 2. Vegetational Data 16 THE TAKELMA AND THEIR ATHAPASCAN KIN: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC SYNTHESIS OF SOUTHWESTERN OREGON 1. INTRODUCTION Almost fifty yearsago,Philip Drucker published "The Tolowa and their Southwest OregonKin,"a detailed ethno- graphic description of the Athapascan-speaking Native Ameri- cans of the lower Rogue River and northern California coastal areas.In a brief synopsis at the conclusion of his work, Drucker noted a few details concerning the Upland Takelma and Galice Creek aboriginal groups of the upper Rogue River. However, no comparable work on the variousgroups of the upper Rogue River basin has beencompiled,and the lifeways of the aboriginal inhabitants of southwestern Oregonare still poorly understood. This study of the Takelma and their Athapascan kin*, the Tal-tuc-tun-te-de (Galice Creekgroup)and the Da-ku-be-te-de (Applegate Rivergroup),is a synthesis of three major sources of information relating to the ethno- graphic or protohistoric time period in southwestern Oregon: (a) previously published ethnographicmaterial;(b) unpub- lished fieldnotes;(c) recent archaeological data.From the prehistoricperspective,this area ofOregon,centered on the middle and upper reaches of the Rogue River, has, until *The use of the word"kin"does not denote a genetic rela- tionship;however through intermarriage and geographical proximity,the aboriginal groups in the region could becon- sidered culturally akin. 2 recently,been one of the least studied and understood regionsof the Pacific Northwest. Two federalprograms have improved that situation in recent years.The first was the implementation,during the 1970's, of systematic cultural resource management efforts on federallands. This program, through the on-going identification and preservation ofpre- historic archaeological sites, has greatly increased the known data base for futurestudies,as well as providing data on regionalchronology,subsistence behavior and settlement patterns.The secondprogram,prompted by the construction of major flood control dams in the Rogue River basin, has been the archaeological excavation of numerous sites in the area. While the research generated by theseprograms expanded our understanding of regionalprehistory,it has, at the same time,created a need for a more in-depth knowledge of-the Native American lifeways prior to Euro-American settlement. A useful technique for archaeological research is the "ethno- graphicanalogy." Witha detailed knowledge of the various aspects of thematerial,social and ideational life of an ethnographically-knownpeople,it is possible-not only to answer specific archaeologicalquestions,but also, with caution, to project the lifeways of the ethnographic period back in time, and thereby to pose truly anthropological questions on a range of subjects dealing with culture and the forces which change and moldit. One of the compelling reasons for this present study is the need to provide the 3 detailedethnographic account necessary for on-going archaeological research in southwestern Oregon. In addition to providing the data necessary for archaeologicalresearch,this study also is intended to contribute to the comparative study of Native American cultures. By synthesizing the available data for the Takelma and their Athapascan kin into one document, futurecross- cultural comparisons may be attempted with greaterease and accuracy. The inclusion of previously unpublished data expands upon what is already known concerning theethno- graphic time period in thisarea,while, at the same time, the"new"data raises new problems for research. The introductory chapters of this study are intended to orient the reader to the geography of theregion,the anthro- pologists and Native American informants instrumental in the collection of the ethnographicmaterial,and the territories occupied by the specific ethnographic groups. Chapter Two, the "Physical Setting", outlines the general environmental conditions relevant toan understanding of the ecologicaladaptationsof the Takelma and their Athapascanneighbors. The Takelma and the Galice/Applegate Athapascans were not the only groups to inhabitanenviron- mental region such as that described in Chapter Two. A similar physiographic province extends west from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and from slightly north of the Rogue River, south to the area surrounding the Klamath River in California. It was primarily because of 4 environmental similarities and the many shared