Siletz (tribe)

Siletz (tribe) is a Native American tribe in western Oregon in the United States. The tribe lives in Siletz, Oregon, a small town about 15 miles southeast of Lincoln City on the Pacific Ocean.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz are actually a confederation of 27 tribal bands ranging from Northern California to southwest Washington state. The tribe was forcibly moved onto their reservation in 1855; in 1955, the tribe's federal recognition status was terminated. In 1977, the Siletz was the second tribe in the U.S. to have its federal status restored.

Finding records of the ethnic and cultural history of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz is somewhat difficult. Here is an attempt to show the tribe's population makeup before it was forced on reservation lands in the mid-19th century:

• Upper Rogue River or Shasta Tribe:
  • John's Band 172
  • George's Band 222
  • Joseph James's Band 160

• Coastal Tribes:
  • Joshuas's Band 179
  • Choallie's Band 215
  • Totoem's Band 202
  • Macanotin's Band 129
  • Shasta Costa 110
  • Port Orford (a Qua-to-mah band) 242
  • Upper Coquille 313

A short list of indigenous groups forced onto the Siletz Reservation include the Rogue River tribe, Shasta, Scoton, Shasta Costa, Grave Creek tribe, Chetco, Coquille, Tolowa-Tututni, and likely a small number of Siuslaw, Coos, and Kuitsh peoples.

External links

• Confederated Tribes of Siletz homepage
• The Rogue River Indians and Their Relations with the Whites (p. 7)