Oregon150

By Antone Minthorn, Member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

My name is Antone Minthorn and I am a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. I am of the Cayuse/Nez Perce and Umatilla nation. I was born on the Umatilla Indian Reservation on January 27, 1935. Actually I was born at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Pendleton, Oregon which was once a part of the original Umatilla Indian Reservation.

I was raised by my grandfather and grandmother. My grandfather was a Cayuse and my grandmother was Nez Perce. My grandmother gave me an Indian name which translates to “Big Dawn.” I learned the Nez Perce dialect when I talked with my grandmother. There are almost no fluent speakers of the Nez Perce dialect on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. But we do have a tribal languages program that works with Nez Perce, Umatilla and Walla Walla dialects. One day I hope to hear the languages spoken again in our native community. Incidentally, I began my education at St. Andrew’s Catholic Mission School on the reservation in 1941 and learned how to use the English language. The first word I remember the Sisters teaching me was, “TH-ink (think).”

In 1955, I was a college student at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. When I came home for the summer break I stopped at Walla Walla, Washington where there was a public event commemorating the Treaty of 1855. The city of Walla Walla was the site of the treaty council grounds. It was the place where the decision was made, in treaty negotiations with the federal government, that the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes would agree to the Umatilla Indian Reservation, located in Oregon Territory, as their homeland. There were also two other Indian Reservations established: Yakama and Nez Perce, both in Washington Territory.

What I had found out much later, as I read the minutes of the 1855 Treaty negotiations, was our tribal negotiators always held a great concern for a place the children could live; that is, there had to be a place for those yet to come. When I finally realized what our leaders meant I was deeply moved because it was us today they were talking about. Our ancestors understood the value of land and children and stood by those principles is the reason I have a home and place to live. However, I too am obligated to make good decisions for the safety of those children yet to come.

Our 1855 Treaty with the United States Government was ratified by Congress in 1859, the same year the State of Oregon was established. The Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes moved onto the newly created 512,000 acre Umatilla Indian Reservation around that time. A treaty signed with the U.S. Government is the law of the land.

It was when the treaty was signed tribes lost much of their sovereignty, or the right to manage their own affairs. In the treaty document, there are stipulations the Confederated Tribes consent to a dependence upon the federal government. In this respect, the office of the federal Indian Agent, that is, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) becomes the chief manager of tribal affairs.

At the time of the treaty signing, the tribes were prosperous and owned millions of acres of land and thousands of head of stock in cattle and horses. As the federal policy changed, the tribes lost almost all of their land due to hostile federal legislation called the Allotment Act. This legislation parceled up the Indian Reservation land into lots for each tribal member. The result was a reduced Umatilla Indian Reservation of 172,000 acres and it generally remains the same today.

My conclusion of the dependence relationship with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (i.e., federal government) was the possibility of losing our entire Umatilla Indian Reservation. In fact, some western Oregon tribes did lose their original Indian reservations but have since been restored to federal recognition status and are now self governing. The federal law that destroyed the land base of the western Oregon tribes was called Termination and was initiated in 1953.

From the time of early contact with the white people, before the treaty signings, the relationship has always been guarded. Our tribes, the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, fought the military and political battles to survive. We have triumphed but there is so much work to be done to rebuild our tribal national government.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla) has reestablished its sovereignty and works on a government-to-government basis with federal and state agencies. By working cooperatively, we are able to build a strong tribal government providing essential services and a strong economy to help people make a living. The Umatilla tribes now employ over 1,300 people. We could never accomplish such goals by dependence on the federal government. For Native American tribal communities in Oregon, the best way to preserve culture is to have a strong economy and the right to make your own decisions.

The state of Oregon has been a national leader in promoting good government-to- government relationships with Oregon Tribes. However, our relationship with Oregon, prior to the 1980s, had been very hostile. Therefore, our goal for the next 50 years is not to go back to those times of hostility but work to strengthen our government-to-government relationships and our communities so together we can help our people live good lives and learn to respect the cultures of each other

Finally, it is our Hope and Vision that the 1855 Treaty of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes be honored by the federal and state governments and their people because it is the right and just thing to do but also understanding the powerful inherent authority tribes possess to help Oregon leaders achieve better government and create a stronger economy to help the people and the children. Furthermore, I believe the Umatilla Tribes Nation will again prosper and be a powerful economic and political force in the State of Oregon.

These are my thoughts for the OR 150 Sesquicentennial.