Deep roots
Native people honor their ancestors with an eye toward the future generations

by Katherine Head
(Created: Thursday, November 9, 2006 9:45 AM PST)

"It's a good day to be alive. It's a good day to be an Indian." Those words spoken by Steve Shane of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes opened a ceremony Sunday morning to honor the land and her people. In the audience, a Great Blue Heron observed the ritual as sage smoke carried away any counterproductive energy. It was a call to the ancestors, a reconnection to their wisdom and the insight of Mother Earth.

The gathering, held near the Gateway of the Pacific overlooking the estuary, marked what has become a resurgence of local Indian culture. The Clatsop-Nehalem tribe has about 160 registered members, with many more waiting to be enrolled.

"Our problem is we just can't work fast enough to enroll them in our tribe," member Roberta Basch said. Basch is married to Richard Basch, who is the descendant of Clatsop Chief Coboway. Roberta is a member of the Puyallup and Coeur d'Alene tribes, but was adopted into the local tribe.

Pushed aside

The Clatsop-Nehalem people were displaced from their traditional lands, despite the long-standing presence of natives along the north coast.

"Plain and simple, this is a very rich coastal area," Roberta explained. Consequently, the native people were driven off the land in what Roberta calls "an eradication."

"People treated the Indians like strangers in their own territory," she said.

Those who are in the area today meet in small gatherings to remember the sacrifice of their elders.

"The interest in the last few years has more emphasis on community and culture," Roberta explained.

The Lewis and Clark bicentennial aided in reconstruction of tribal history, "and so the tribe has been able to make some huge strides in the last few years in that area," Roberta noted.

The Discovery

Lewis and Clark encountered the Clatsop and Nehalem people in the winter of 1805-06. On their way to Tillamook Head, the expedition stopped at the Clatsop village near the meeting of the Necanicum, Neawana and Neacoxie rivers. They were invited to stay and rest.

"To me it epitomizes hospitality—just a nice, homey feeling," Richard said.

Richard's great great great grandfather Chief Coboway is mentioned frequently in the expedition journal, and the people received praise for their generosity. Unfortunately, that generosity was not given in kind. After asking for one of the tribes' traditional dugout canoes and getting denied, some of the Corps of Discovery members stole one of the Clatsop canoes. To repay their debt, Lewis and Clark offered the tribe Fort Clatsop. It would not be the last time the tribe would face duplicity from the European-bred whites.

No recognition

In the summer of l851, a gathering at Tansey Point on the mouth of the Columbia River, yielded treaty negotiations with Oregon Territory Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Anson Dart. On Aug. 5 and 6 of 1851, the Clatsop and the Nehalem Band of Tillamooks negotiated and signed the Tansey Point Treaty. The document was sent on to Washington D.C. for ratification, but the treaty was blocked by delegates to Congress and subsequently not ratified.

With no treaty and no reservation, many Clatsop and Nehalem families remained in their traditional homeland and never became part of a federally recognized tribe.

Reawakening

Today the tribe is still pursuing federal recognition as an independent tribe. Despite the setbacks, the culture of the Clatsop-Nehalem people is reawakening. The tribe has a new canoe—the 32-foot Dragonfly—which was constructed from one cedar log in the traditional way. And the people gather, as they always have, to pay homage to Mother Earth, Father Sun, and the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of long ago.

Legend has it that when Chief Coboway's daughter Celiast returned home to her tribe, the elated people ran out into the water, lifted her from the canoe and carried her back into the village. Sunday's ceremony near the site of that village was also a welcome home filled with fanfare and reverence. Tribal members honored one another, and those whose spirits will always be tied to the land they once called home.

Copyright © 2006 Seaside Signal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.