Clackamas people facts for kids
The Clackamas Indians are a group of Native American people. They traditionally lived in Oregon, along the Clackamas River. This area is part of the Willamette Valley. In 1806, explorers Lewis and Clark estimated about 1,800 Clackamas people. They lived in 12 villages. These villages stretched from the lower Columbia River to what is now Oregon City. They mostly lived on the east side of the Willamette River. In 1841, two reverends, François Norbert Blanchet and Alvin F. Waller, met and converted their Chief Popoh.
In 1851, a treaty was proposed for the Clackamas. However, it was never officially approved by the Oregon superintendent. Another treaty was signed on January 10, 1855. This treaty was approved on March 3, 1855. The Clackamas people were promised resources worth $2,500. Only $500 was given in cash. The rest of the payments were in food and clothing. At this time, there were only 88 Clackamas people left.
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Daily Life of the Clackamas
The Clackamas tribe mainly ate fish and roots. They were skilled at fishing for salmon. They built large platforms from cedar wood. From these platforms, they would dip their nets into Willamette Falls. After catching salmon, the women would prepare them. They would dry or smoke the salmon. This preserved the fish for later. Sometimes, they mixed salmon with berries and nuts. They also stored salmon in woven baskets for winter.
The Clackamas Indians used salmon to trade with other tribes. Another important trade item was wapato. This is a root also known as Sagittaria.
Clothing and Status
Both men and women wore leather leggings and tunics. They used cedar bark to make skirts and bedding. Fancy beadwork, quills, feathers, and shells showed high status. These shells were also used as a type of money.
Like other Chinookan peoples, the Clackamas practiced head flattening. From when a baby was very young, their head was gently pressed between boards. This made the forehead slope backward. This practice showed that a person was free, not a slave.
Expert Woodworkers
The Clackamas were very good at woodworking. They crafted canoes and plank lodges. Canoes were used for traveling on rivers. A typical canoe was about 20 to 30 feet long. This allowed them to carry many goods or people. Because they knew the Clackamas river systems so well, pioneers often hired them as guides.
Tomanowos: The Sky Visitor
The Willamette Meteorite is very important to the Clackamas Indians. They call the meteorite Tomanowos. This name means "the visitor of heaven." The Clackamas believed the meteorite was a gift from the Sky People. They saw it as a connection between the sky, earth, and water. Other tribes in the area also thought the meteorite had special powers.
Where Are They Now?
By 1855, the 88 surviving Clackamas members were moved. They went to Grand Ronde, Oregon. First, they lived on the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. Later, they became part of the general population.
Soosap was known as the "last" full-blooded Clackamas Indian. His mother was full Clackamas, and his father was Klickitat. He lived off the Grand Ronde reservation. He spent his days in Oregon City doing various jobs. His English name was Joseph Andrews, because people found his native name hard to say. He was also a well-known baseball player in the Pacific Northwest.
Today, descendants of the Clackamas people are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon.
