Aviva Directory » People & Daily Life » Ethnicity » American Indians » Tillamook

The Tillamook people are a Coast Salish group that consists of several divisions and dialects.

Tillamook is a Chinook term meaning "people of Nehalem (or Nekelim)," although it is sometimes reported as a Coast Salish term for "land of many waters."

From south to north, the Tillamook tribe consists of the Siletz, Salmon River, Nestucca, Tillamook Bay, and Nehalem.

The Siletz, or Nachicolcho, lived along the Siletz River and Siletz Bay. Their own name is given as Se-la-gees (people on the crooked river), and their name for the Siletz River is Nshlæch'/Nshlæts (crooked river) or Nach'ikáltzu (quiet river), so their tribal name can be given as Nshlæts'stiwat (crooked river people) or Nach'ikáltzustiwat (quiet river people).

The Salmon River/Nachesne/Nachesna people lived along the Salmon River. Both the people and the river were known as Nachesne/Nachesna.

The Nestucca/Nastucco/Nestugga lived on Little River, Nestucca River, and Nestucca Bay. Their own name for themselves was Stagaush (people of Saga), while Nestucca/Nestugga is the placename (people of Ne-staguash).

As the name suggests, the Tillamook Bay people resided along Tillamook Bay, as well as the mouths of the Kilchis, Wilson, Trask, Miami, and Tillamook rivers, which empty into the bay.

The Nehalem lived along the Nehalem River.

Collectively, the Tillamook people traditionally inhabited an area spanning from Tillamook Head in the north to Cape Foulweather, and extending to the summit of the Coast Range Mountains. They were concentrated around the tidewaters of the Nehalem, Tillamook, Netarts, and Nestucca bays, as well as the mouths of the Miami, Kilchis, Wilson, Trask, Salmon, and Siletz rivers.

The Tillamook is the southernmost of the Coast Salish tribes and were separated from the more northern Coast Salish tribes by tribes who spoke Chinookan languages, who had a notable influence on their culture.

Tillamook culture differed significantly from other Coast Salish. Gender roles were exercised in various ways. During infancy, children were named at an ear-piercing ceremony in which boys had their nasal septa pierced. If the infant had siblings, they were required to stay away for at least a week out of fear that their presence would swell the ear of the infant, causing its death. Children were rarely punished during childhood. A boy's first food kill and a girl's first gathered food were reserved for the elderly, and, at the onset of puberty, girls were secluded as they underwent a series of ritual behaviors and food taboos. Boys were subjected to fasting and spirit questions, and a boy's adult occupation was determined by the spirit he obtained during this quest.

Among the Tillamook, marriages were arranged between the two families in accordance with their status. Men of high status might have more than one wife.

Residing in a coastal environment, the Tillamook people relied heavily on fishing, particularly salmon, although they also hunted and gathered edibles. Village sites were established where there was good visibility, drainage, fresh water, and firewood.

The Tillamook population was estimated to be 2,200 at the time that they were encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who were wintering at Fort Clatsop in 1805. The tribe's population was impacted by smallpox epidemics in 1824 and 1829. Conflicts over land and resources after the arrival of Oregon Trail settlers in 1841 resulted in a further decline in the population of the Tillamook people. By 1850, it is estimated that there were only about 200 survivors.

In 1856, the remaining Tillamook and members of about twenty other tribes were forcibly moved onto the Siletz Reservation, which had been established the previous year.

Today, descendants of the Tillamook people are enrolled either in the federally recognized Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon or the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde Community of Oregon. Descendants of the Nehalem sub-tribe might also be part of the unrecognized Clatsop Nehalem Confederated Tribes.

The focus of this portion of our web guide to American Indian and First Nations groups is on the Tillamook people, including any of its sub-tribes or reservations on which Tillamook descendants reside, whether recognized or unrecognized. Tillamook governments, enterprises, businesses, schools, medical facilities, and other entities or events are appropriate topics for this category, whether tribally or individually owned by a Tillamook person.

 

 

Recommended Resources


Search for Tillamook on Google or Bing