Wewa depicts native life at Black Butte Ranch

Wilson Wewa, a Northern Paiute from Warm Springs, thrilled a packed house at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) with descriptions of early times in the area.

Meeting with the Friends of BBR, Wewa described Indian foods, medicines, hunting camps and winter use of local caves.

“I’m now into cultural protection of my ancestors’ materials and records,” said Wewa.

He spends a lot of time working in the area of traditional foods and medicine.

“Our collecting areas for native foods has become smaller and smaller with growth in Central Oregon. I use liter milk bottles, washed out, and refilled with native medicines that I make. This is a disappearing art but I use information that my grandfather and father passed down to me. We have a clinic on the Warm Springs reservation that serves about 2,000 people, but I still dispense native medicines to those that want them.”

The BBR area was a favorite hunting location for his ancestors, according to Wewa.

“Laws from fish and wildlife services have become more strict and we can only fish and hunt on the reservation now,” he said. “In earlier days, my people fished on the nearby Metolius River.”

In earlier days, the meadows at BBR were swampy but Northern Paiutes used hunting areas nearby.

“The old people still like rice grass and I collect this for them and do the grinding,” he said.

“Antelope are largely gone from the area as well as elk for hunting,” he continued. “I have collected Indian tobacco and used it. Also, mushrooms may have been used for food.”

Wewa is a storehouse of knowledge about the archeological treasures of the region.

“My people know where many of the caves and artifacts are located in Central Oregon,” said Wewa. “Petroglyphs and pictographs from my ancestors are located all over the area. Also, burial grounds of early Indians are found here. Paiute people were buried where they fell.”

In the mid-1800s there was friction between white people moving into Oregon and local Indians.

“The Indians had a non-fence concept and when settlers fenced off their property, it caused problems. Paiutes tended to be a roaming people and that sometimes led to trouble with whites,” Wewa said.

“Later, my people were placed on reservations and taught by missionaries that our beliefs and medicines were works of the devil,” Wewa said.

“Many of our traditions were lost and I am trying to save what I know about them for future generations of my people. I have a project with a writer to record my recollections of earlier Indian traditions that will be published as a book.”

Wewa described names and stories that Indians associated with local mountains. “White Whiskered Old Man” was the translation that Wewa aptly attributed to Mt. Jefferson.

He also told the old legend of Green Ridge, the male, and Black Butte, the female, on their migration north. The going was slow and there was friction between the two as to how fast they were moving. Green Ridge, the husband, decided to lie down while Black Butte, his wife was peeing. To this day, we see the couple in their traditional positions.

“Training from my grandfather and others has led me to be more in tune with my environment,” Wewa told his audience. I can look out the window and decide what type of weather day is coming and what to wear. I can also forecast weather in the future.”

During a question-and-answer session, Wewa was asked what he forecast for this winter in Central Oregon.

“I’m not sure anymore because of global warming,” he said, “but I think we will have a cold, dry winter here and the higher mountain areas may have more snow.”

For information about future BBR Friends meetings contact Jean Nave at 549-8755.