Coquille people

For other uses, see Coquille (disambiguation).

The Coquille (or Ko-Kwell, Tututni and Rogue River Athabascan) are a Native American tribe centered in southwest Oregon in the United States, where the Coos River flows into Coos Bay.

Name

The name of the Coquille resembles the French word for "shell". This has led to speculation that the name was attached to the Indian people by French Canadian voyageur trappers working for the North West Company, because of the people's diet of shellfish and use of shells as personal ornament. However, a report written for the modern Coquille Indian Tribe suggests that the name comes from a mispronunciation of some native word, possibly for a river, geographic place, or person.

Groups

The Coquille groups included the Upper Coquille (Mishikwutinetunne), Kwatami, Shasta Costa, Dakubetede (Applegate), and Tututni. Tututni subtribes include the Yukichetunne, Tututni, Mikonotunne, Chemetunne, Chetleshin, Kwaishtunnetunne, and Taltushtuntede (Galice).

The Coquille (Ko-Kwell, Tututni, Rogue River Athabascan) groups included:

A) Lower Rogue River (also known as Tututni, Chasta Costa and Coquille) language speaking:

I) Upper Coquille (Coquille, Mishi-kwutine-tunne) dialect speaking:

• 1) Mishi-kwutine-tunne (Mishikwutinetunne, Upper Coquille) Tribe;

• 2) Flores Creek (Kosotshe, Kusu'me, Luckkarso, Lukkarso) Tribe;

II) Chasta Costa (Shasta Costa, Chasta Kosta, Shistakoostee, Illinois River) dialect speaking:

• 3) Shasta Costa Tribe;

III) Euchre Creek (Yukiche-tunne) dialect speaking:

• 4) Yukiche-tunne (Yukichetunne, Euchre Creek) Tribe;

IV) Tututni dialect speaking:

• 5) Tutu-tunne (Tututunne, Tututni) Tribe;

• 6) Nal-tunne-tunne (Naltunnetunne) Tribe;

• 7) Mikono-tunne (Mikonotunne, Mikwunutunne, Mackanotin) Tribe;

• 8) Cheme-tunne (Chemetunne, Joshua) Tribe;

• 9) Kwatami (Sixes) Tribe;

• 10) Chetleshin (Pistol River) Tribe; and

• 11) Kwaish-tunne-tunne (Kwaishtunnetunne, Wishtenatin) Tribe;

B) Upper Rogue River (Galice, Applegate) language speaking:

I) Galice Creek (Tal-tush-tun-tede or Tal-tuc-tun-te-de) dialect speaking:

• 12) Tal-tush-tun-tede (Taltushtuntede, Galice Creek or Tal-tuc-tun-te-de) Tribe;

II) Applegate (Daku-be-tede) dialect speaking:

• 13) Daku-be-tede (Dakubetede, Applegate, Nabiltse) Tribe;

Language

The Coquille (Tututni) people spoke two closely related Athabascan languages: The Lower Rogue River (AKA Tututni, Chasta Costa, Coquille) and Upper Rogue River (Galice, Applegate) languages. Bouth are extinct Pacific Coast Athabaskan languages classified as part of the Oregon Athabascan subgroup.

Lower Rogue River (AKA Tututni-Chasta Costa-Coquille)

dialects:

• Upper Coquille (AKA Coquille, Mishikhwutinetunee)

- Coquille (AKA Mishi-khwutine-tunee, Upper Coquille)

- Flores Creek

• Tututni

- Tututunne

- Naltunnetunne

- Mikwunutunne (AKA Mikonotunne, Mackanotin)

- Joshua (AKA Chemetunne)

- Sixes (AKA Kwatami)

- Pistol River (AKA Chetleshin)

- Wishtenatin (AKA Khwaishtunnetunnne)

• Euchre Creek (AKA Yukichetunne)
• Chasta Costa (AKA Illinois River, Chastacosta, Chasta Kosta)

Upper Rogue River (Galice–Applegate)

dialects:

• Galice (AKA Taltushtuntede)
• Applegate (AKA Nabiltse, Dakubetede)

History

Human occupation of the coastal areas of the Coquelle dates back as far as 8,000 years, and 11,000 years in inland areas. Fish traps used on the lower Coquille River have been dated back at least 1,000 years. Extensive oral histories of the Coquille have been collected and preserved at the Coquille Indian Tribe Library in Coos Bay, Oregon.

The Coquille fished in the tidewaters and estuaries along the Oregon coastline using fishing weirs and basket traps, and collected shellfish.

Modern scholars have documented an extensive network of trails, footpaths, and canoe routes that the Coquille people had developed by the time of contact by the North West Company's Alexander McLeod in 1826.

Mid-19th century to the present

Main article: Coquille Indian Tribe § History

After the treaty of 1855, the Coquille people were forced to move to the Coastal Indian Reservation (now the Siletz Reservation). Today Coquille people may be part of one of two tribal entities: the Coquille Indian Tribe or the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz.

The Coquille (Tututni), Takelma, Latgawa and Shasta peoples were in 19th century collectively known as Rogue River Indians.

See also

• Coquelle Thompson
• Coquille Indian Tribe
• Confederated Tribes of the Siletz

Further reading

• Hall, Roberta L. The Coquille Indians : yesterday, today and tomorrow. Lake Oswego, Or. : Smith, Smith and Smith Publishing, 1984.
• Hall, Roberta L. Oral traditions of the Coquille Indians. 1978.
• Hall, Roberta L. People of the Coquille Estuary : native use of resources on the Oregon coast : an investigation of cultural and environmental change in the Bandon area employing archaeology, ethnology, human biology, and geology. Corvallis, Or. : Words and Pictures Unlimited, 1995.