Siletz

For other uses, seeSiletz (disambiguation).

Siletz

Total population
Fewer than 5,300 (2018)
Regions with significant populations
United States(Oregon)
Languages
English,formerly'Dee NiandTillamook
Related ethnic groups
TolowaandSalish peoples

TheSiletz(pronounced SIGH-lets) were the southernmost of several divisions of theTillamook peoplespeaking a distinct dialect; the other dialect-divisions were: Salmon River on theSalmon River,Nestucca onLittle Nestucca River,Nestucca RiverandNestucca Bay,Tillamook Bayon theTillamook Bayand the mouths of the Kilchis, Wilson, Trask and Tillamook rivers, andNehalemonNehalem River.The name "Siletz" comes from the name of theSiletz Riveron which they live. The origin of the name is unknown (perhapsOregon Athabaskan?variants: Salǽˑtʃʼɪtʃʽ, Sai-lĕtc-́ĭc qûn-nĕ, and Sii-lee-ch'ish)

Their eastern neighbors theCentral Kalapuya tribescalled themTsä Shnádsh amím.

InChasta Costa and Euchre Creek-TututniandChetco-Tolowathey were known asShii-lee-ch'ish,the Naltunne-Tututni name wasSai-lĕtc-́ĭc me-́t̟ûn-nĕ(all with reference to the Siletz River) and the Upper Coquille-Tututni nameʃɪllǽˑttʃʼɪʃmæ̽-dɜnhæorSii-lee-ch'ish- dv-ne( "Siletz River People" ).

Today they are a constituent band of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and the group from which the confederation received its name. In 1856 following theRogue River Warsin southern Oregon, people from among more than 27 Native Tribes and Bands, speaking 10 distinct languages: Alsea/Yaquina,chinuk wawa(also known as Chinook Jargon), Coos, Kalapuya, Molala, Shasta, Siuslaw/Lower Umpqua, Takelma, Tillamook, and a broad group of Athapascans speaking groups of SW Oregon, including Upper Umpqua, Coquille, Tututni, Chetco, Tolowa, Galice and Applegate River peoples who by treaty agreements and force were removed by the United States to theCoast Indian Reservation,later known as theSiletz Reservation.

Over generations the Siletz people have faced brutal federal policies which resulted their 1.1 million acre reservation being illegally taken from them. Congress passed the Western Oregon Termination Act, ending the government to government relationship with the Siletz Tribes. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians was successful in lobbying Congress to repeal the Termination Act as applied to the Siletz and again was federally recognized as of November 18, 1977. Today their members are enrolled in thefederally recognized tribeof theConfederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.

The only native language still spoken on the reservation is Siletz Dee-ni, which is a combination of all Athbaskan dialectic variant vocabularies spoken by several of the original reservation tribes. In cooperation with the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, the tribe produced a "talking dictionary" of Siletz Dee-ni in 2007 to aid in preservation and teaching.

History

Traditionally, the Siletz were believed to be aSalishan-speaking group; they inhabited an area along the central coast of Oregon near theSiletz Riveruntil the middle of the 19th century. The tribe was considered the southernmost group of the largerCoast Salishculture,which was centered near theStrait of GeorgiaandPuget Soundin what are nowBritish Columbia,Canada, andWashington,United States.

The Siletz were closely related in language and culture to theTillamooktribe to their north along theOregon Coast.During or after theRogue River Warsof 1855–1856, which extended to areas of northern California, members of the tribe were moved by the United States government to theCoast Indian Reservation,later called theSiletz Reservation.

The Tillamook and peoples of more than 20 other small tribes, including theTolowa peopleof northern California, were also removed to the reservation.It is located along theSiletz Riverin theCentral Oregon Coast Range,15 miles northeast ofNewport,which is on the coast inLincoln County.

Language

The Siletz are believed to have spoken the "Siletz dialect" or "Southern Tillamook" of theTillamook (Hutyéyu)language, which was part of theCoast Salish languages.Tillamook was declared extinct when its last native speaker died in 1970.

What is now known as the Siletz Dee-ni language was restricted historically to speakers in "a small area on the central Oregon coast."Linguists have concluded that Siletz is not related to Tillamook at all, but is a form ofTolowa,anAthabaskan languagerather than a Salishan language.TheTolowa peoplewere one of the 20 Native American groups whose descendants comprise the Confederated Tribes of Siletz.

In the 21st century, Siletz Dee-ni was the only native language still spoken on the reservation. Realizing that their language was endangered, the Consolidated Siletz tribe have taken actions to preserve and teach it. Also called Tolowa Dee-ni, the language has been studied by several groups. Members of the tribe have worked with a variety of linguists to document the language. Their work is "a comprehensive attempt to include the similarities and the differences of the known dialects of the Southwest Oregon / Northwestern California Athabaskan Language."

The Siletz have taken part in an international effort by theNational Geographic Society,theLiving Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages,and linguists such as K. David Harrison ofSwarthmore Collegeto save languages that are threatened with extinction. Alfred "Bud" Lane, among the last fluent native speakers of Siletz on the reservation, has recorded 14,000 words of the Siletz Dee-ni language. Lane and other Siletz had decided they wanted to work to preserve and revive the language.

Lane's work was used to help produce a Siletz talking dictionary, one of eight dictionaries produced for endangered languages in this project, as reported at the annual meeting in 2012 of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science(AAAS). The bilingual dictionary, in English and Siletz Dee-ni, with illustrations, will be used to teach the dialect to tribal members in the Siletz Valley. Such digital tools and social media can help small groups communicate.Professor Harrison said, "a positive effect of globalisation is that you can have a language that is spoken by only five or 50 people in one remote location, and now through digital technology that language can achieve a global voice and a global audience."

Further reading

• Tolowa Language Dictionary,1st and 2nd Editions, by Loren Bommelyn
• Tolowa Dee-ni Language,by Loren Bommelyn, 1999.
• Tolowa Dee-ni Language: Vocabulary One,by Loren Bommelyn, 2000.
• Tututni/Sixes/Yuu-ke Dee-ne (Athabaskan) Language- Ida Bensell,by Victor Golla (also incorporated works with Ida by Elizabeth Jacobs).

External links

• Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians,official site
• Siletz Language Project
• "Coast Salish tribes",University of Oregon
• "A Brief Interpretive History of the Rogue River War and the Coast, Alsea, and Siletz Reservations to 1894",California State University San Marcos