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
EL.CM.RE.08—Understand, learn, and use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly through informational text, literary text, and instruction across the subject areas.
EL.CM.RE.35—Extend ideas presented in primary or secondary sources through original analysis, evaluation, and elaboration.
EL.CM.SL.10—Formulate judgments about ideas under discussion, and support those judgments with convincing evidence.
EL.CM.WR.02—Discuss ideas for writing with classmates, teachers, and other writers, and develop drafts alone and collaboratively.
CD Segments to Play
Background
After the reservation experience, many western Oregon Indians returned to their homelands while some remained on the reservations that were still in operation. Grand Ronde and Siletz are two of the reservations that have been in existence since the 1850s.
Although the Native people of western Oregon endured a history of European contact, relocation and a great loss of culture, the tribes have endured.
“Termination” of Indian tribes in the 1950s was a Federal policy that severed ties between tribes and the U.S. government. But refusing to be assimilated into the majority culture, many tribal groups in the 1960s began to organize to seek Federal recognition and restoration. The people of Grand Ronde gathered yearly at the community cemetery to honor those who passed over, and at those gatherings, they began to plan their work of attaining Federal recognition. With the persistence of several tribal elders, making trips to Washington, D.C. and collecting thousands of documents, the tribe was recognized by the Federal government in 1983.
One Grand Ronde tribal member relates:
“We catch the midnight plane to New York or Washington, D.C. We’d get there early enough in the morning to get off the plane, go to the meeting and never had enough money for a hotel. They’d do all their work in one day, get back on the plane and fly back. And those weren’t just young kids. These were elders.”
And so tribes such as the Grand Ronde, Coquille, Cow Creek, Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw worked toward gaining Federal recognition to ensure that the people were equal partners in economic development, health and education. Today, Oregon’s federally recognized tribes have many programs for their people: health, education and tribally-owned businesses. Tribes also contribute to the community through their charitable foundations. But a most important aspect of today’s tribal life is remembering the traditions and culture to make sure that they will be preserved for generations to come.
Suggested Strategies
Activities
1. Discuss
Discuss why Indian people want to keep their traditions and culture. Why is it important?
2. Reflect
Have each student go back to the first question in the journal: “What do I already know about Oregon tribes?”
Ask if the information in these five lessons changed their mind about what they already thought they knew. Ask for examples.
Have each student go back to the second part of the first entry: “What do I want to know about Oregon tribes?” Ask if they found out most of what they wanted to know. Ask for examples.
3. Journal
Journal entry #6: What was the most important fact I learned about western Oregon Indians?
After the students finish their answers, ask several students to read their replies.
4. Vocabulary
Students will write each word and its definition in the journal
termination recognition
restoration relocation
