 |
"Modoc War: Its Military History & Topography" »
A free online book providing an overview
of the Modoc War.
Historic
Photos »
A gallery of selected historic photos.
|
|
History & Culture
A mural reflecting
the history of the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, on display in
Miami, Oklahoma. |
|
The Modoc tribe of Oklahoma
With the end of the Modoc War in 1873 the
cultural identity of an entire people was lost. For the Modocs displaced
to Oklahoma, their arrival at the Quapaw Agency marked the beginning of
the most desperate struggle for survival in the history of their people.
Where were the grasses and reeds they needed to make their fine baskets?
Where were the lakes, teeming with millions of waterfowl? Where were the
winter herds, the rabbits, the squirrels? What of the spirits of their
ancestors left behind, and what would be the fate of theirs in this
strange and alien land?
Weakened by lack of food, they were compelled to clear and cultivate the
land to raise strange crops. Disease was destined to accomplish that
which army bullets had not. Thirty-three of them died in a single year
(while the Indian Agency reported only ten). By the turn of the century
there were fewer than fifty Modocs on the rolls of the Quapaw Agency.
The Modocs demonstrated their historic tenacity by working hard to make
their land productive and to increase their herds of livestock. By 1877
they were providing 40% of their own subsistence. Two years later,
though one third of them were now dead, they had increased their own
production to 50%. The Modocs further supplemented their meager
government rations by working for whites in the border settlements, by
making and selling the popular arts and crafts of other tribes, and by
driving teams between the reservation and the railhead.
Today the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma is comprised of some 200 people,
descendants of only seven of the original 155 prisoners of war. Their
family heirlooms consist of a few dozen photographs, mostly of
unidentified Modocs; a few baskets, made by long-forgotten great
grandmothers; 2 hunting bows, presented to the local county museum by an
uncle no one can quite remember. No young girls today weave traditional
baskets as they were taught by their mothers who were taught by their
mothers. No young boys learn traditional dances or make costumes to
celebrate the great spirits. No grandfather relates the stories of the
animal people to wide-eyed youngsters as they were related to him so
many, many times so many, many years ago.
The ancient culture of the Modocs is forever lost. At Pow-wows today
Modocs dance the Gourd Dance, a traditional dance of plains Indians who,
even among themselves, argue its origins. Modoc costumes are based
largely on the costumes of neighboring tribes. With no culture of their
own to interpret, Modocs make souvenirs which are popular among their
neighbors. No Modoc ever wore a feather headdress, but as it has become
an Indian symbol to white visitors, so it is with the Modocs and other
tribes..
. |
|
|
|
