| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 5,300 (2018)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Oregon) | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerlyDee Ni[2] andTillamook[3] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tolowa andCoast Salish peoples |
TheSiletz (pronounced SIGH-lets) were the southernmost of several divisions of theTillamook people speaking a distinct dialect; the other dialect-divisions were: Salmon River on theSalmon River, Nestucca onLittle Nestucca River,Nestucca River andNestucca Bay,Tillamook Bay on theTillamook Bay and the mouths of the Kilchis, Wilson, Trask and Tillamook rivers, andNehalem onNehalem River. The name "Siletz" comes from the name of theSiletz River on which they live. The origin of the name is unknown (perhapsOregon Athabaskan? variants: Salǽˑtʃʼɪtʃʽ, Sai-lĕtc-́ĭc qûn-nĕ, and Sii-lee-ch'ish)
Their eastern neighbors theCentral Kalapuya tribes called themTsä Shnádsh amím.
InChasta Costa and Euchre Creek-Tututni andChetco-Tolowa they were known asShii-lee-ch'ish, the Naltunne-Tututni name wasSai-lĕtc-́ĭc me-́t̟ûn-nĕ (all with reference to the Siletz River) and the Upper Coquille-Tututni nameʃɪllǽˑttʃʼɪʃmæ̽-dɜnhæ orSii-lee-ch'ish- dv-ne ("Siletz River People").[4]
Today they are a constituent band of theConfederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and the group from which the confederation received its name. In 1856 following theRogue River Wars in southern Oregon, people from among more than 27 Native Tribes and Bands, speaking 10 distinct languages: Alsea/Yaquina,chinuk wawa (also known as Chinook Jargon), Coos, Kalapuya, Molala, Shasta, Siuslaw/Lower Umpqua, Takelma, Tillamook, and a broad group of Athapascans speaking groups of SW Oregon, including Upper Umpqua, Coquille, Tututni, Chetco, Tolowa, Galice and Applegate River peoples who by treaty agreements and force were removed by the United States to theCoast Indian Reservation, later known as theSiletz Reservation.
Over generations the Siletz people have faced brutal federal policies which resulted their 1.1 million acre reservation being illegally taken from them. Congress passed the Western Oregon Termination Act, ending the government to government relationship with the Siletz Tribes. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians was successful in lobbying Congress to repeal the Termination Act as applied to the Siletz and again was federally recognized as of November 18, 1977. Today their members are enrolled in thefederally recognized tribe of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
The only native language still spoken on the reservation is Siletz Dee-ni, which is a combination of all Athbaskan dialectic variant vocabularies spoken by several of the original reservation tribes. In cooperation with the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, the tribe produced a "talking dictionary" of Siletz Dee-ni in 2007 to aid in preservation and teaching.[5]
Traditionally, the Siletz were believed to be aCoast Salishan-speaking group; they inhabited an area along the central coast of Oregon near theSiletz River until the middle of the 19th century. The tribe was considered the southernmost group of the largerCoast Salish culture,[3] which was centered near theStrait of Georgia andPuget Sound in what are nowBritish Columbia, Canada, andWashington, United States.
The Siletz were closely related in language and culture to theTillamook tribe to their north along theOregon Coast. During or after theRogue River Wars of 1855–1856, which extended to areas of northern California, members of the tribe were moved by the United States government to theCoast Indian Reservation, later called theSiletz Reservation.
The Tillamook and peoples of more than 20 other small tribes, including theTolowa people of northern California, were also removed to the reservation.[3] It is located along theSiletz River in theCentral Oregon Coast Range, 15 miles northeast ofNewport, which is on the coast inLincoln County.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(December 2017) |
The Siletz are believed to have spoken the "Siletz dialect" or "Southern Tillamook" of theTillamook (Hutyéyu) language, which was part of theCoast Salish languages. Tillamook was declared extinct when its last native speaker died in 1970.[3]
What is now known as the Siletz Dee-ni language was restricted historically to speakers in "a small area on the central Oregon coast."[2][5] Linguists have concluded that Siletz is not related to Tillamook at all, but is a form ofTolowa, anAthabaskan language rather than a Salishan language.[5] TheTolowa people were one of the 20 Native American groups whose descendants comprise the Confederated Tribes of Siletz.
In the 21st century, Siletz Dee-ni was the only native language still spoken on the reservation. Realizing that their language was endangered, the Consolidated Siletz tribe have taken actions to preserve and teach it. Also called Tolowa Dee-ni, the language has been studied by several groups. Members of the tribe have worked with a variety of linguists to document the language. Their work is "a comprehensive attempt to include the similarities and the differences of the known dialects of the Southwest Oregon / Northwestern California Athabaskan Language."[6]
The Siletz have taken part in an international effort by theNational Geographic Society, theLiving Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages,[5] and linguists such as K. David Harrison ofSwarthmore College to save languages that are threatened with extinction. Alfred "Bud" Lane, among the last fluent native speakers of Siletz on the reservation, has recorded 14,000 words of the Siletz Dee-ni language. Lane and other Siletz had decided they wanted to work to preserve and revive the language.[2]
Lane's work was used to help produce a Siletz talking dictionary, one of eight dictionaries produced for endangered languages in this project, as reported at the annual meeting in 2012 of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The bilingual dictionary, in English and Siletz Dee-ni, with illustrations, will be used to teach the dialect to tribal members in the Siletz Valley. Such digital tools and social media can help small groups communicate.[2] Professor Harrison said, "a positive effect of globalisation is that you can have a language that is spoken by only five or 50 people in one remote location, and now through digital technology that language can achieve a global voice and a global audience."[2]
Indigenous peoples in Oregon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Topics |  | |
| Events | ||
| Places | ||
| People | ||
| Oregon history | ||
