The Siletz Reservation is a 5.852 sq mi (15.157 km²)
Indian reservation
An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
in
Lincoln County, Oregon
Lincoln County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, its population was 50,395. The county seat is Newport. The county is named for Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States.
Lincoln County ...
, United States, owned by the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the United States is a federally recognized confederation of more than 27 Native American tribes and bands who once inhabited an extensive homeland of more than 20 million acres from northern Califo ...
. The reservation is made up of numerous non-contiguous parcels of land in east-central
Lincoln County, mostly east of the city of
Siletz
The Siletz (pronounced SIGH-lets) were the southernmost of several divisions of the Tillamook people speaking a distinct dialect; the other dialect-divisions were: ''Salmon River'' on the river of that name, ''Nestucca'' on Little and Nestucca ...
, between it and the
Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk:
* Polk County, Arkansas
* Polk County, Florida
* Polk County, Georgia
* Polk County, Iowa
* Polk Count ...
line.
History
Establishment
In November 1855
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...
issued an
executive order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...
creating a reservation for the relocation of the indigenous peoples of the coastal region of the
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...
.
[David R.M. Beck, "'Standing Out Here in the Surf': The Termination and Restoration of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians of Western Oregon in Historical Perspective," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 110, no. 1 (Spring 2009), pg. 10.] A 120-mile-long strip of land was designated for the
Coast Indian Reservation The Coast Indian Reservation is a former Indian reservation in the U.S. state of Oregon, established in 1855. It was gradually reduced in size and in the 21st century is known as the present-day Siletz Reservation.
History
The Coast Reservation wa ...
.
This reservation extended from
Cape Lookout in
Tillamook County
Tillamook County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,390. The county seat is Tillamook. The county is named for the Tillamook or Killamook people, a Native American tribe who we ...
on the north coast, extending to the
Siltcoos River, near
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
in the South.
As Oregon's population grew, the federal government opened up some reservation lands for settlement by white newcomers, who displaced the indigenous peoples.
[Beck, "'Standing Out Here in the Surf,'" pg. 11.] The reservation Area was
reduced and
fragmented by the executive order December 21st 1865 of President
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
and by the Act of Congress March 3rd 1875. Tribal groups reestablished a presence in isolated portions of their traditional homelands.
Under the
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the Pre ...
of 1887, the government divided communal tribal lands for allocation of individual plots of 160 acres each to heads of households of tribal members; any remaining acreage was classified as "surplus" and sold to non-natives. This break-up of communal lands accelerated the process of atomization of the state's indigenous peoples.
Since the late 20th century, the federally recognized
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the United States is a federally recognized confederation of more than 27 Native American tribes and bands who once inhabited an extensive homeland of more than 20 million acres from northern Califo ...
has established
casino gambling
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
on its lands and generated monies for its people's welfare, as well as contributing to county needs.
Culture and lifestyle
Tribal housing
The Siletz tribe has built several different areas for tribal members to live. The tribe has created a rent-to-buy style program so that tribal members are able to own their own houses. The tribe has also created elders housing units for the elderly tribal members, and they boast several different areas where members are able to rent tribal apartments, these apartments are spread all over the city on tribal properties.
Tribal events
The Siletz reservation is home to many tribal programs. The most prominent is the annual celebration held in Siletz on top of Government Hill, the Nesika Illahee Pow-wow
This event happens during the second weekend of August. The pow-wow opens up every year with a parade and leads into the celebration that lasts all weekend. Siletz is also home to many other cultural events such as
culture camp youth activities, and activities for elders. The reservation also houses the Siletz dance house where solstice celebrations take place along with many other events like weddings and coming-of-age ceremonies.
Education
There is one K-12th grade school in Siletz, the Siletz Valley Charter School also known as the
Siletz Valley Early College Academy
Siletz Valley Early College Academy, also known as Siletz Valley School, is a public charter high school in Siletz, Oregon, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or A ...
. The school had been closed for many years but reopened in 2006 due to funding provided by
Chinook Winds Casino
Chinook Winds Casino and convention center is a Native American casino located in Lincoln City, Oregon. It is operated by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. The casino's amenities include a 227-room hotel, a gaming floor (between two floors), t ...
. It is a public school within the
Lincoln County School District.
See also
*
Tolowa language
The Tolowa language (also called Chetco-Tolowa, or Siletz Dee-ni) is a member of the Pacific Coast subgroup of the Athabaskan language family. Together with three other closely related languages (Lower Rogue River Athabaskan, Upper Rogue River ...
Footnotes
Further reading
* David R.M. Beck, "'Standing Out Here in the Surf': The Termination and Restoration of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians of Western Oregon in Historical Perspective," ''Oregon Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 110, no. 1 (Spring 2009), pp. 6–37
In JSTOR
* C.F. Coan, "The Adoption of the Reservation Policy in Pacific Northwest, 1853–1855," ''Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society,'' vol. 23, no. 1 (March 1922), pp. 1–38
In JSTOR
* Wilkinson, Charles F. The People Are Dancing Again: The History of the Siletz Tribe of Western Oregon. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2010.
External links
Confederated Tribes of Siletz homepage
Geography of Lincoln County, Oregon
American Indian reservations in Oregon
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
1855 establishments in Oregon Territory
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