Siletz High School - Warrior Yearbook (Siletz, OR)

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Dancers are Archie Ben, Pauline Ricks, Arthur Bell, Herman Bell, Dennis Bostwick, Steven Brown, Shirley Ben, Maxine Rilatos, Bob Rilatos, Paul Youngman, August Simmons, Clark John, Patrick Ben Robert Simmons, and Gaylene Towner Only a few of the young people have learned to perform the tribal dances Thi group, however, still practices, and is one of the most entertaining features for half time at football games NKLAT NAAGAW THE MHISTLE MAN Belief in the power of the Whistle Man has not disappeared from this valley, for many Indian families have great respect for this legendary figure whose eerie whis tle has been heard at night in recent years It is an awful sound, they say, like nothing else ever heard, and when he hears it, one can make a positive identifica tion Come believe that the Whistle Nan has the power to bring either a sudden or lingering death, others think he merely torments his subgects, stealing their catch or disturbing their sleep and scaring their children This power is an evil one, gained by much practice in running, Jumping, and whistling, and is located in a charm, actually a bone from the graveyard, which he must protect with his life, lest the power be lost A favorite practice ground for an aspiring Vhistle Man is a falls in the river about four miles upstream from Siletz According to the belief, one who has this power can stay at home in bed, sending his evil self out to do his bidding This evil self mav remain in the spirit, or may take a physical form, but with this form is mortal A favorite physical being is that of an owl for a such he can perch in a tree, whistling and tormenting his victim The story of the Whistle Tan was confirmed by Grandma Collins, 87 who lives on Government Hill, but her ver ion differs in some particulars NKlat Naaga carri s poison wrapped in gauze under belt, part red and part white, the red for blood and the white for bone,W she said W'hen one hears him, sounds like nothing ever heard and it makes the nose to bleed and the hair to stand straight up W She has not seen him recently, but has heard his whistle Fear of the Whistle Man is one reason for keeping clean, for cleanliness helps to defeat him, the fear of this man was Grandma Collins' explanation for the stear bath which is more cleansing than a swim in the river 'Indians must keep clean like fi h,W she remar TRIP BACK TO ROGUB RIVER Iany of the people from the Rogue River country were homesick and wished to return When she was a- bout 7 years old, Grandma Collins made the trip down the beach with her Grandmother, who packed eel and dried fish in a basket for supplies They walked all the way down the coast, many days, each night sleep- ing behind logs on the beach Vhen they came to a river, they made friends with the people who would take them across in a boat or casket Few of these Indians who had been moved into the Ciletz Valley stayed here all the time, movin? to Devil'c Lake or over into the Villamette and back to Siletz BURIAL CU TOL NThe early Qiletz Indians were buried with a knife in one hand and a Q25 :fold piece in the other, pre- , f ' i pared to fight or buy entrance into the next world, .lg lk' ' says Gregon, -Ed of the Trail, aBhisgoryfbogk whiih ' l was prepared Ore on Ctate oar o ontro GPANDMA COLLENQ WITH CRADLD Grandma ACollinsy agregd to that statement, but ex- BOARD HE 'ADL plained that the money might have been silver or money beads.

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THE RIVER SILETZ Several legends explain why the Siletz River was so named, though even the mean ing of the word is disputed The belief that Siletz means Wcrooked river' meets with more agreement than many, but this explanation may stem from the fact that from above Logsden to the mouth it is a winding, twisting stream Actually, the river meanders l2b m1les from source to mouth, a mere I2 or lh miles by air One legend explains why the river is crooked According to it, years ago before the white man came, a favorite daughter of the Chief was so seriously ill that herbs and steam baths did not improve her condition, and the medicine man was called Obeying his instructions, the Chief sent the warriors to find a large snake This snake the medicine man showed to the Great Spirit, which accepted it, casting it upon the ground with such force that it writhed and squirmed, cutting an imprint into the valley, which became this winding river THE SHIPWRECKED MAIDEN One story attributes the name 511822 to that of a white shipwrecked maiden, who was the only survivor when a ship went down in a storm near the mouth of the river She lived on herbs and berries, working her way up the valley, where she was joy ously accepted by an Indian tribe living at the present location of Siletz This beautiful 'strange fair onen was called Celeste, and eventually they named the tribe in her honor It was not until the government agents misspelled the name that Siletz evolved BLACK BEAR SEEKS PEACE Black Bear, legendary father of the original Siletz people, prayed to the Great Spirit for peace, for he hated the continual wars of his people The Great Spirit cross the mountains with his wives, his sons daughters and their families where they were to occupy a beautiful land of plenty Only one warning was given Black Bear must keep his tribe pure He set out with his wives, sons, daughters and their families, and after many days, came to this beautiful river and country, which they called the Celestial Valley Here they lived in peace and plenty, until Black Bear disobeyed, taking a beautiful foreign wife This brought much unrest and Jealousy, for the new wife was very jealous of Black Bear's favorite daughter, Celeste She caused her to be stolen away and drowned, the Great Spirit pun lshed all the people with drouth famine, and fire This foreign wife even contorted the name of Celeste to our Siletz, and the original name was lost Black Bear paid dearly for his disobed ience to the Great Spirit Time passed and the foreign wife re turned to her people, so that once more the trees grew, the rains fell in season, the river rose so that the salmon returned VITAL FOOD FROM THE RIVER Both eel and salmon have long been important in the Indian diet as drying both gave food for the entire year A few old Indians can remember the run of salmon being so heavy that the river was black with the fish, traveling up the stream so close together that a man might have crossed the river on the backs of the salmon Though the salmon and eel are not essential foods for the Indian living here today, many older ones have found it hard to adgust to the modern day meats, and would prefer, if it were possible, to have salmon, eel, and deer meat to the more readily available kinds. THIS PAGE SPONSORED BY NOEL'S MARKET, SILETZ. .J ' - - ' 1 ' heard his prayer, directing him to . and