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Tecumtum
Photo likely from newspaper
Died	(1864-06-06)June 6, 1864 Grand Ronde Reservation
Other names	Chief John, Old John, Tyee John

Chief Tecumtum (d. 1864), was the chief of the Etch-ka-taw-wah band of Athabaskan Indians and a leader in the Rogue River Wars. He signed three treaties with the United States between 1851 and 1854.

Biography

Tecumtum, whose name meant Elk-killer, was the chief of the Etch-ka-taw-wah Band of Athabaskan Indians who were the last to surrender in the Rogue River war in 1855-1856. He lived in Deer Creek in Illinois Valley. Prior to the Rogue River war, he signed three treaties with the US: the Treaty with the Rogue River in 1851, the Treaty with the Rogue River in 1853, and the Treaty with the Rogue River in 1854. The discovery of gold in this area lead to high tensions between the white settlers and the native tribe. Tecumtum was one of the leaders of The Rogue River War and he and his soldiers were one of the last to surrender in the summer of 1856. Two years later, Tecumtum and his son were imprisoned in San Francisco for "allegedly plotting an uprising." In 1862, Tecumtum was released from prison thanks to an appeal from his daughters. Once he was out of jail, he moved back to Oregon to live on the Grand Ronde Reservation.

Wars

The discovery of gold in Southwest Oregon in 1850 created an influx of people to the area, exacerbating the tensions between the existing Native and white populations. The biggest war involving Chief John was the Rogue River war, conflicts began in 1851 when Captain Tichenor's crew killed around thirty Indians at Battle Rock. This war didn't start until 1855 but had ongoing engagements for years until eventually coming to a halt in 1856. Not long after the lynching in 1855 of one of Tecumtum's sons and another tribe member, Jacksonville volunteers massacred a Native American village. After this occurrence, Tecumtum, followed by his men, made their way into the mountains where they spent their time fighting with the whites for over a year. During this time of such violence, leading Tecumtum and his men to flee into the mountains, he still requested and wanted to live in peace with the whites; however Tecumtum knew that wasn't an option for him and his men. “That he would rather die fighting for his rights than to…have his people killed for nothing when ever it suited the caprice of some men to do so.” Recorded by a government official who spoke to Tecumtum. In the summer of 1856, the surrendering of Tecumtum and his men became apparent, then he and his people were forced to travel by foot 125 miles to the land they were forced to live upon, now called the Siletz Reservation. Tecumtum was also part of a battle known as the Battle of Big Meadows, but there is debate as to whether this battle was started by him and his group, or as a result of a failed truce between a group of Native Americans and a group of Euro-Americans.

The Rogue River War

The Rogue River War, was a conflict between Native Americans and white settlers that occurred between the years of 1855 and 1856. This war was the result of multiple years of tension between the Indigenous groups and the white settlers due to the availability of land and resources surrounding the Rogue River . In the lead up this devastating event, white settler expansion in this area continued to push further onto indigenous lands where they damaged ecosystems surrounding the Rogue River, and used up precious resources. Agent George Ambrose, was a local Indian that kept records of everything that he witnessed during this time. His statements almost prove that a war was inevitable.

There were a number of futile actions of the United States Army in an attempt to secure peace between the white settlers and the indigenous people. This attempt at peace became known as the Treaty of Table Rock, a tentative peace treaty. However, this treaty resulted in the indigenous people losing two thousand square miles to the United states, and this indigenous population received only one hundred square miles, which proved to be a massive loss as this area of land "consisted primarily of non-arable land". This made it very difficult to grow food and feed themselves.

A secondary action was completed by the United States government, in an attempt to protect the indigenous people from the white settlers. A fort was constructed, a fort which was known as Fort Lane. This fort proved ineffective as the white settlers continued to attack the indigenous people, and claim the indigenous land as their own as they looked to continue expansion.

Due to the constant attacks from the white settlers and lack of arable land many indigenous people moved south in hope to find areas that would better suit their needs, and that were without the constant presence of the white settlers. Unfortunately this movement of indigenous people agitated the white settlers in the area, and the indigenous were accused of trespassing, and a range of other crimes that led to the punishment of many, which resulted in the hanging of many indigenous people. Following these events, Agent Ambrose wrote, "already the people talk of waging a war of extermination [of the Indians]".

It wasn't until October 7th of 1855 in the town of Jacksonville, where James Lupton suggested the "extermination" of all indigenous people in this area. The following day Lupton's local militia split up and spread out to hunt down all of the indigenous villages and camps in the area, where they murdered all of the indigenous people that they came across. Over 40 indigenous people were killed, and more than half of which were women and children. This event became known as the "Lupton Massacre".

News of this massacre spread to the Indian Chiefs in the surrounding area, where they rallied together to send a response back to the white settlers. They separated into two groups, united by two leaders. The first group was lead by Chief Toquahear (aka Chief Sam), and the second group was lead by Tecumtum (aka Chief John).These two parties went separate directions, adding to the small army as they moved, and killing white settlers along the way. There were a number of battles where the indigenous groups proved victorious, but ultimately they were outmanned and outgunned which led to many groups of indigenous people surrendering, include Tecumtum on the 2nd of July 1856.

Cultural clashes

Tyee John was a Shasta chief who was faithful to the Table Rock Treaty. Chief John lived on Deer Creek near the Illinois valley, with his family, sons, and daughters. The first engagement between the whites and Chief John was in August of 1856, when Lieutenant Burrell Griffin and his troops invaded an Indian village. The whites were simply overpowered and were forced to retreat. The major clash was with the gold miners who murdered Tecumtum’s son and his fellow troop.This aroused Chief John’s temper, moreover, the government refused to punish those criminals. Tecumtum and his people suffered through terrible invasions, injustice, and persecutions. Conflicts and tensions became more intense when the troops of Tipsu Tyee’s band did violations such as thefts, burnings and killing two white settlers. Therefore, in the early 1854, the miners started attacking into the Deer Creek. The Shasta warrior led his people into the forest where they can hide and escape from the whites. The whites became strong after the California Volunteer Militia involved into the war. Colonel Buchanan and Captain Andrew Smith took parts against the Shasta leader in Rogue River War. In 1856, Tecumtum addressed Colonel Buchanan saying, "You are a great chief. So am I. This is my country; I was in it when those trees were very small, not higher than my head. My heart is sick with fighting, but I want to live in my country. If the white people are willing, I will go back to the Deer creek and live among them as I used to do. They can visit my camp, and I will visit theirs; but I will not lay down my arms and go with you on the reserve. I will fight. Good-by." Eventually, on the Coast Reservation, Over half of the Rogue Tribe was removed due to the Siletz Agency.

References

Category:1864 deaths Category:Year of birth missing Category:19th-century Native Americans Category:Tribal chiefs Category:Native American people from Oregon