Siuslaw people

The Siuslaw are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. Their autonym is sha’yuushtl’a.

Today Siuslaw people are enrolled with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians located on the southwest Oregon, on the Pacific Coast.

Territory

Historically, the Siuslaw lived along the Siuslaw River in western Oregon. They had 34 distinct named villages in the 1880s. After two decades in 1938, the court ruled against the tribes. They filed suits with the Indian Claims Commission in 1951 and 1952 but were rejected. In 1984, the U.S. Congress recognized the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians through legislation.