Shasta
Indian Tribe Our Story
Shasta Indian History is somewhat mysterious; it maybe even
considered somewhat sad. Although we
had such a large aboriginal land base, a distinct language (Hokan Sioux), songs,
dances, ceremonies and a certain way of doing things, very little is know about
our people. We hope this page will
give you the information and education you need to get to know our people, our
council, and our plans for the future.
Past
The Shasta Tribe had the largest aboriginal land base of
the northern California Tribes, encompassing
most all of what is now known as
Siskiyou
County
in
California
, and parts of
Jackson
, Josephine, and
Klamath
Counties
in southern Oregon
. The main body, comprised of the
Iruwaitsu, Katiru, Kikatsik and Kammatwa, occupied the Klamath River from Keno to
Happy Camp, the north half of Shasta Valley, all of Scott Valley, Quartz Valley,
and parts of the Salmon river. To
the north we occupied the
valley
of
Stewart River
at the head to the junction of the
Rogue River
. Rosemary Holsinger puts it simply,
“Imagine a line drawn from Mount Shasta, through Butte Valley to Mt. Pitt
(McLaughlin), then west to where Bear Creek and the Rogue river join, southwest
along the divide between Bear Creek and Applegate Creek, west along the ridge of
the Siskiyou’s and the drainage area of the Klamath River nearly to the
present site of Happy Camp, then south and east along the edge of Scott river
and the Shasta Dam drainage areas to Mount Shasta - and you will have drawn the
boundaries of the Shasta dwellings and activities."
More specifically, the territory extended in the northern part, up the valleys of Jenny and
Cottonwood Creeks and over the entire valley of Stewart River to its mouth; from
here the whole area along the Rogue River, above the mouth of the Stewart, to
Little Butte Creek along the stream to the base of Mt. Pitt.
Five other bands of Shasta’s included the Konomihu, New River Shasta,
Okwanuchu, Achomaui and Atsugewi. These
bands occupied the region about the forks of the Salmon in California, extending
seven miles up the south fork and five miles up the north fork, extending above the two
forks over the divide into the head of the New River.
The Okwanuchu occupied the head of the Sacramento River down to
Salt River
, the upper part of McCloud, and as far down as Squaw Creek.
This is a tremendously vast region for one Tribe to occupy, and the Shasta did so
successfully for thousands of years, prior to the 19th century.
A region rich in beauty, plentiful in food resources and clean rivers,
here dwelt a Nation of people who loved peace and walked in gratitude for all
that the Creator had blessed us with. This
is still evident today.
We were a sedentary people, which meant we had permanent winter villages. Our
homes were made out of cedar planks which were equipped with a basement.
They were built half way in the ground with round entranceways made big
enough for a person, but small enough that a bear couldn’t sneak in.
Every spring brush huts were made near the mouths of the creeks entering
the rivers, creating smaller villages. Each
village community was integrated into the larger bands, each lead by a headman
or Chief. Our Chief system was
traditionally from Father to Son; these headmen were usually the wealthiest in
the band. One form of “money”
was dentillium shells, which were traded from our friends to the west. The
larger ones being worth more than the smaller ones..
As all Tribes, we worked together, men
doing the hunting and fishing and the women doing the rest. Ayee!
In the winter the men would hunt for deer, elk and bear. Always
upon their return a dance was held for the men to celebrate their hunt. Meat was
dried and stored. Acorns, epos,
seeds, roots and berries were a major part of our diet, but fish, particularly
salmon, was a major food supply. We
fished by net, weir, basket traps, and spears, and the fish was dried and stored
for winter food. During salmon runs,
it was possible for a man to catch enough fish in one day to feed the family for
a week. It was the Shasta way to
share the food with all the members of the village, each getting an equal
share. If there was a surplus, it
was traded to neighboring Tribes.
The Shasta always kept track of our genealogy; an elder woman in the
village would keep a marriage wheel to ensure that a person did not marry his or
her blood relative. The bride price was
set before the marriage, and that price determined the value of the woman’s
children. This was compensation to the woman’s family for the loss of their
daughter’s economic value. If the
groom was from another village or Tribe, the bride was taken there for a marriage feast
and she would live in his village, learn his language and his ways.
The same was true for a woman from another tribe or village marring a
Shasta man.
Childbirth took place away from the village in the menstrual hut, with the
assistance of a mid-wife. The new mother remained there for a month after
childbirth. During the first five days a new baby was in a sense baptized by being passed
over the steam of boiling water and prayed for.
A child was named a year after birth.
Coming of age was a very important component in the Shasta culture.
A boy would go on a vision quest, and pray for blessings in hunting,
fishing, gambling and for his purpose in life.
A girl, at her first menstruation, was secluded in a menstrual hut (wapsa-huumma)
for 10 days. Only her mother and
older female relatives could tend to her. Her
eyes were covered with a visor made of blue jay feathers and always faced east,
away from the fire. Three stripes of
red were painted on her chin. She
would dance with a deer hoof rattle and sing all night, and when she got tired a
female relative would take over. This
was repeated for her next two moon cycles, and she was then ready to be married.
Purification was very important to the Shasta people.
Men and women had their own separate sweat lodges that were also built
away from the villages.
We always buried our dead in family burials near but away
from the villages; the person’s belongings were burned or buried with them.
It was not good to speak of a dead person, unless the name was given to
another child. If a warrior was
killed away from home, he was cremated and brought back home to make his journey.
The people who mourned cut their hair and often kept it short.
Hair belts were made and worn to show respect for the loved one.
This was all a way of life for a very humble, yet proud people.
The first contact with whites was late in the scheme of the Indian Wars.
Early in the 19th century the trade route from
Oregon
to California
made a tremendous impact on Tribal hunting, fishing and land rights.
The discovery of gold in Yreka and Upper Soda Springs in 1850 was the
beginning of the genocidal attempt on the Shasta people.
November 4th, 1851, Reddick McKee, a representative of the
United States,
formed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the U.S.
and the Shasta/Upper Klamath Indians. That
treaty has never been ratified. The
same is true for the treaty between the U.S. and The Rogue River Tribe (Shasta) in 1853.
Women were forced to marry miners and were often mistreated.
Through the massacring of the villages and disease very few Shasta’s
survived; our blood comes from those that did survive. That’s
the sad part of our story-- gold and fur had more value than people, more value
than a man’s word and his own contract.
Present
Through the years, there have been many more injustices done
to a people whose only desire it is to have our inherent sovereign rights
enforced to be a self-supporting
sovereign nation, having a Government to Government relationship based on trust
and respect. The present Tribal
Council is working to have our Federal Recognition restored to us. Through the
“Termination Act” our people were considered to be extinct; that obviously
is not the case. We are in the
process of forming a solid infrastructure that will benefit the generations to
come. We are making tremendous
progress and encourage your participation and support. Our Council consists of
our Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasure and four board members, who
meet on a monthly basis. The meeting notices are posted the month in advance.
Our elections and results will be posted as well.
Our Tribal Office is located in Yreka (Waiika).
Future
The present Council has a large task ahead, but with clear
vision, prayer, strong leadership and faith we are confident we will be able to
see a terrible injustice made right. We
choose not to dwell on the past, but look forward to the future and what we can
contribute as a Tribe, as a Community, and a Country.
After our recognition is restored, it will then open up the
door for economic development, housing, healthcare, prescription assistance and
employment. Our people can come home
and be a Tribe once again, living together and regaining what was almost lost.
Our language, our songs, our dances our way of life-- we can help restore
it.
To help restore the rivers and streams.
To increase the salmon production and to promote alternative sources of
energy. To continue being the good stewards of the earth that our Creator
intended us to be. To be good
neighbors, fair and just to all. We are going to continue the good fight, and
see our people restored! Blessing to
you and your families.
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