Alsea

Names of Alsea groups: Yaquina and Alsea

Region: Northern Oregon coast

# of speakers: extinct

"YAKONAN or ALSEAN A group of Indians on the Oregon coast forming a small linguistic family. From north to south these were the Yaquina on the Yaquina River near present Newport, Oregon; Alsea on the Alsea River; Siuslaw on the Siuslaw River near Florence, Oregon; and Kuitsh or Lower Umpqua on the lower Umpqua River near Reedsport, Oregon. The Siuslaw were the most linguistically divergent. They were coastal and riverine people, wealthy in dentalia shells; they hunted seals, and held slaves. Because of their coastal location they came into contact with white trading vessels in the late 18th century; in 1780 they perhaps numbered 5,000. The usual reductions followed, hastened by the activities of the Hudson's Bay Company, the influx of white miners, and the Rogue Wars of the 1850s. Remnants were moved to the Siletz Reservation on that part known as the Southern or Alsea Reservation. In 1910 a census reported only 29 Alsea, 19 Yaquina and seven Siuslaw; and in 1930, nine Kuitsh. They are all now part of the so-called 'Confederated Siletz Indians of Oregon'." (Johnson, p. 176)

This page was last updated on Thursday, February 6, 1997 9:56:47 PM