The Klamath tribe, part of the Plateau cultural area, signed a treaty with the US in 1864, ceding their land for $35,000 and annual payments. They lost federal recognition in 1954 but regained it in 1986. The tribe is dedicated to economic self-reliance and cultural preservation. They traditionally lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering and are known for their wickerwork.
The Klamath are a Native American tribe of southern Oregon. They are part of the Plateau cultural area, a group that includes many Native American tribes that originally lived in the Columbia Plateau covering parts of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The Klamath tribe is most closely related to the Modoc tribe, who historically lived just south of the Klamath in parts of what is now Oregon and California. The Klamath and Modoc historically spoke two different dialects of a single language, the now extinct Klamath-Modoc.
The Klamath tribe, along with the Modocs and the Yahooskin band of Snake Indians, signed a treaty with the United States in 1864 under which they ceded their land in the Klamath Basin to the United States in exchange for a lump sum of $35,000, payments annually for 15 years, and the establishment and infrastructure of Klamath Reservation. The Klamath tribe was also granted the right to hunt, fish and gather on the reservation in perpetuity.
The Klamath tribes lost federal recognition in 1954. Twenty years later, the Federal Court ruled that the Klamath tribe retained the right to hunt, fish and gather, and in 1986 the tribe regained federal recognition. However, much of their traditional land had already been sold. The Klamath tribes have entered into an agreement to buy back much of their traditional land.
The Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin still form a confederacy centered on the Klamath Reservation, known as the Klamath Tribe. The group has 3,500 registered members and operates the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino in Chiloquin, Oregon. The name of the casino consists of the first syllable of each tribe of the Klamath tribes. There are also members of the Klamath tribe living in the Quartz Valley Indian Community in Sikiyou County, California along with the Karuk and Shasta Indians.
The Klamath tribes are dedicated to economic self-reliance and cultural preservation. The Klamath Tribes Language Project has designed a basic language course, which includes writing and pronunciation, and is available to the public through their website.
The Klamath tribe traditionally lived by hunting, fishing and gathering. Along with other highland cultures, they are renowned for their wickerwork. The highland Indians traditionally lived in longhouses made of tule mats, which housed several families.
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