Overview
Lesson 1: Before the Coming of the Europeans
Lesson 2: Contact with a New Culture
Lesson 3: The Treaties and the Reservation Experience
Lesson 4: Stories as a Learning Tool
Lesson 5: Learning More about Western Oregon Indian Tribes
Extending the lesson/References
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
EL.CM.SL.10—Formulate judgments about ideas under discussion, and support those judgments with convincing evidence.
EL.CM.RE.04—Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions across the subject areas.
EL.CM.WR.30—Synthesize information from multiple sources and identify complexities and discrepancies in the information and the different perspectives found in each medium.
GEOGRAPHY
SS.CM.GE.03—Locate and identify places, regions, and geographic features that have played prominent roles in historical or contemporary issues and events.
CD Segments to Play
Background
Trade was an important cultural activity for most tribes. Resources that were scarce in the home territory could be obtained from other tribes. Many “trade centers” were established thousands of years ago in places now known as The Dalles, French Prairie (near Salem), Saginaw (north of Cottage Grove), the banks of the Umpqua River near Roseburg, and many, many others throughout Oregon. At these trade centers, tribes met with other tribal people from far away who would bring specialized items from their areas.
Some of the most sought-after items were obsidian for projectile points, acorns, shellfish from the Coast and a variety of shells from the Puget Sound and northern California areas. Often, food was traded, sometimes due to a seasonal scarcity of a certain item. Clothing, tools and personal items were also traded and fine craftsmanship was a valuable asset to making a good trade.
Because of the many languages spoken in Oregon, it was difficult to negotiate a trade with someone from a distant tribe. And so the Chinook Trade Jargon (Chinuk Wawa) was used. This is a language made from many tribal words as well as English, French and other words that came after European contact. The early traders, trappers and explorers quickly learned important words in this language and so were able to communicate with Indian tribes.
The Kalapuya people of the Willamette Valley and other inland areas obtained the skins of sea otters from coastal tribes. The Kalapuya prized the sea otter for its appearance and was often used in making traditional regalia. Sea otter was one of the most valuable trade items in the inland valleys of Oregon. But this item in particular brought exploitation from the European culture.
At one time, there was a large sea otter population. On the Pacific coast, the sea otter was used and traded for food as well as for the thick and rich fur. Trade routes between the coast and the inland valleys of western Oregon were established to take advantage of fur trading as well as trade for other items such as acorns, camas, shellfish and tools. The Chinook name for sea otter is “elakha”. The Kalapuya people of the southern Willamette Valley called him “wul-hyat.”
During the Lewis and Clark expedition, on November 20, 1805 the men first saw sea otter furs at Baker’s Bay on the north side of the Columbia estuary, Pacific County, Washington. Lewis and Clark never actually saw live otters, only their furs, which were traded among the local people.
Captain James Cook, Lewis and Clark and other early explorers recognized that the fur of the sea otter was a prized commercial item and their stories initiated the European and Russian quest for sea otter hides. More than a million sea otters were killed by the time the first pioneers came to Oregon before 1850. The last known sea otter was killed near Newport, Oregon in 1906.
Suggested Strategies
Activities
1. Discuss
Explain the trading process. Write on the board what items might have been used for trade and why.
Look at the geographical areas of western Oregon. What might have been the best trade routes? Why?
What roads and highways of today might have used the pre-European trade routes? Why was this done?
Settlements sprung up along the trade routes. Which settlements might have the most advantageous locations? Why were these locations strategic?
Might there have been Indian villages in the same places?
Why was trade important?
Why did the Indian people travel a long distance to trade?
What do you think was the most important item that the Indians of the Willamette Valley wanted from the coastal tribes?
What was the most important item the coastal Indians wanted from the Willamette Valley tribes?
What do you think a pelt is worth today? In what ways could pelts be used in today’s society?
2. Journal
Journal entry #2: What is a sea otter? What can be made out of a sea otter hide?
Students will write the answer to the questions. (May require some research and this should be completed by the end of the five lessons.)
3. Discuss
Why did the early explorers want sea otter skins?
Why did the trappers and traders kill so many sea otters?
What happened as a result of all the sea otters being killed? (explain about using all of the resources and the chain reaction that affects all life).
Mapping exercise
Use a detailed Oregon map (a Gazetteer is ideal). Try to locate these place names in the Chinuk Wawa:
Sitkum half (halfway)
Toketee Falls pretty (hint: east of Roseburg)
Siskiyou Pass bob-tail horse
