
| Names of Kalapuyan groups:
Tualatin Region: Willamette Valley |
"KALAPUYAN A group of eight tribes speaking three languages,
formerly inhaviting the valley of the Willamette River, Oregon. They were
probably related to the Takelma and more distantly to the Coos and Yakonan into
a stock called Oregon-Penutian. The Alfalati lived around Forest Grove,
northwestern Oregon, and the Yamel above present McMinnville, Oregon,
these forming one dialect division of the family. Continuing south were the
Luckiamute on the river which bears their name; the Santiam around
present Lebanon, Oregon; Chepenafa or Mary's River near
Corvallis, Oregon, all of whom spoke the central Kalapuyan dialect. Finally,
above Oakland, Oregon, were the Yoncalla, who spoke the southern
dialect.
"The Kalapuyans as a whole suffered
greatly from the smallpox epidemics of 1782 and 1783. After coming into contact
with white fur traders they ultimately abandoned their native ecomony, and were
unable to resist white encroachments into the Willamette valley. Following
treaties in 1851 and 1855 the remnants of all the Kalapuyan tribes moved to the
Grand Ronde Reservation, Oregon, where their descendants are now organized as
the 'Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon', although the
reservation lost its recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1956. The
census of 1910 reported 44 Atfalati, five Calapooya, eight Luckiamute, 24
Chepenafa, nine Santiam, five Yamel and 11 Yoncalla; in 1930 the whole group was
reported at 45 persons. At least 24 different tribes were included in the Siletz-Grand
Ronde complex, making it almost impossible for any one small group to preserve
its identity. In 1955, 700 people were reported descended from the original
tribes of Grand Ronde Reservation shortly before termination, when the Federal
Government suspended its responsibility for any services and removed
restrictions on their property. These services were partly restored in the
1970s."
(Johnson, p.
176)
This information was last updated on Friday, February 7,
1997 6:34:15 PM by UO