Coos people are an indigenous people of the Northwest Plateau, living in Oregon. They live on the southwest Oregon Pacific coast. Today, Coos people are enrolled in the following federally recognized tribes:

  • Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians of Oregon
  • Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon
  • Coquille Indian Tribe.

Language

The Coosan language family

On February 8, 1806, the Coos people were first mentioned by Euro-Americans. William Clark, wintering at Fort Clatsop near the Columbia with Meriwether Lewis and the Corp of Discovery, reported the existence of the "Cook-koo-oose nation". His journal entry stated: "I saw several prisoners from this nation with the Clatsops and Kilamox, they are much fairer than the common Indians of this quarter, and do not flatten their heads."

The Coos joined with the Umpqua and Siuslaw tribes and became a confederation with the signing of a Treaty in August 1855. In 1857, the U.S. Government removed the Coos Indians to Port Umpqua. Four years later, they were again transferred to the Alsea Sub-agency at Yachats Reservation where they remained until 1876. In 1876, the sub-agency was handed over to white settlement and the Indians were assigned to relocate to the Siletz Reservation, which created a major disruption among the tribal members. By 1937, their population had dwindled to 55.

Namesakes

Several Oregon landmarks are named after the tribe, including Coos Bay, the city of Coos Bay, Oregon, and Coos County.

Notable Coos people

  • Annie Miner Peterson (1860–1939), last speaker of the Miluk language

See also

  • Coosan languages

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Leo J. Frachtenberg, "Coos," in Franz Boas (ed.), Handbook of American Indian Languages, Part 2. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1922; pp. 297–430.
  • Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw, official website
  • Languages of Oregon: Coos
  • Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Tribes profile
  • Coos Texts, collection of origin myths and lore by Leo J. Frachtenberg (1913), on Internet Sacred Text Archive