Paper Genocide

 Asked AI for help

Yes, the Kalapuya people, the Indigenous inhabitants of the Willamette Valley in what is now Oregon, suffered from what is often termed paper genocide, a process where official records, policies, and classifications systematically erase or merge Indigenous identities. This happened in multiple ways:

1. Forced Assimilation and Relocation:
   After European contact, the Kalapuya population declined dramatically due to disease, land dispossession, and settler expansion. In the 1850s, they were forcibly removed from their lands and relocated to reservations such as the Grand Ronde and Siletz Reservations. This was done under treaties that were often broken or modified by the U.S. government.

2. Tribal Consolidation:
   The U.S. government lumped together various Indigenous groups from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds onto the same reservations. At Grand Ronde, more than 27 different tribes and bands were relocated, including the Kalapuya, Molalla, Chinook, and others. Over time, their unique identities were blurred in government records.

3. Termination Policies:
   In 1954, the U.S. government enacted the Western Oregon Indian Termination Act, which officially terminated federal recognition of the Grand Ronde and Siletz Tribes, effectively erasing their legal status. This act was meant to assimilate Indigenous people into mainstream society by dissolving their reservations and removing tribal rights. Although the tribes eventually regained federal recognition (Grand Ronde in 1983, Siletz in 1977), the damage from decades of erased identity was severe.

4. Loss of Language and Identity:
   Many Kalapuya descendants grew up without learning their traditional language or history because of government-run boarding schools and assimilation policies. The Kalapuya language, part of the Penutian language family, nearly disappeared as a result.

5. Modern-Day Recognition Struggles:
   Many Kalapuya descendants today are enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde or the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, but their distinct identity as Kalapuya people is often overlooked or diminished in historical narratives.

This process of merging and erasing Indigenous identities through treaties, documentation, and federal policies is what many scholars call paper genocide, because it legally and administratively erases a people without outright killing them. The Kalapuya, like many other tribes, persist despite these efforts, and there has been a resurgence in efforts to reclaim their history, language, and cultural identity.

About 15 years ago, I came across a reference to one of my ancestors being Kalapuya. That discovery sent me down a long and winding journey through historical records, archives, and census documents, searching for traces of my family's Indigenous heritage. One of the most important sources I found was the book French Canadians, Furs, and Indigenous Women in the Making of the Pacific Northwest. It helped me understand not only my own lineage but also the broader historical forces that shaped my ancestors' lives. 

During my search, I connected with a distant cousin who recognized my name and reached out. She had an incredible website where she meticulously documented much of our shared family history. Her research was invaluable, offering insights and details that were otherwise difficult to find. Sadly, she has since passed away, and much of her work has disappeared, leaving behind gaps in the record that are difficult to fill. 

What I’ve learned through this journey is how deeply paper genocide has impacted Indigenous families like mine. The Kalapuya people, once thriving in the Willamette Valley, were systematically erased from official records through forced assimilation, relocation, and tribal consolidation. Many Indigenous names were lost as fur traders and settlers married into Indigenous communities, recording children under European names and gradually severing ties to their original identities. The practice of mariage à la façon du pays—marriage according to the customs of the country—was common among French-Canadian fur traders and Indigenous women, but it often led to their descendants losing their tribal recognition over time.

This research has been more than just an academic pursuit; it has been a deeply personal journey to reclaim a history that was nearly erased. Even though many records are missing or obscured, the stories of my ancestors persist, and I am committed to preserving and sharing them. The Kalapuya people may have been largely written out of history, but their descendants continue to seek recognition and keep their heritage alive.