THE SLAVES.
Among the Klamath Indians there were many slaves, which we called
Ki-elth, when the white man first came to our country. These slaves
came about in many ways. Some were mixed blood of Klamath and Hoopas,
some were all Hoopas, and some were mixed blood of the Klamath and
Smith River’s, and consisted of both men and women, but most of them
were Klamaths themselves. Slavery was brought about by wars, famines,
and contagious diseases. In case of a famine there would be a shortage
of acorns, and no run of salmon in the river for two or three years,
and sometimes longer, when the winters were long and cold, or dry,
with but little rainfall. All the land and fishing places belonged to
the wealthy families, who would gather it all for themselves, leaving
little or none for the poor families, which would leave whole families
hungry and starving. They would go to some rich man’s house and offer
themselves as slaves, and these offers were usually accepted. In other
cases there would be sickness start in a well-to-do family, and often
be a death or doctor bills to pay, and no chance to gather acorns or
fish or hunt until they would be reduced to poverty and become hungry
and offer themselves as slaves to some rich family or some big doctor,
which was most of the time accepted. (This is something like what the
white doctor is doing today among his own people.) Sometimes in war or
fighting they would take them and let them be slaves in other ways. Now
these wealthy families would have very large and commodious houses,
and a house would be full to over-flowing in numbers and all would be
mixed up in conversation, and at the time of eating the slaves were
first waited on, while their own children sat back or helped to attend
to their wants, and they were served with as good as their own family
had, and were treated in a way that made them feel at perfect ease in
every way. Often times when the houses would become too crowded they
would build another house and let them move into it, as these wealthy
families kept close touch with their relations or kindred so as not to
marry those that were their own kindred. Sometimes there were families
that had slaves that were not good to them, fed them poorly and refused
to doctor them. These are not hard to select, as one will hear it
mentioned at all times. I have seen and known many of them that were
slaves and were born of slave parents, and some of these slaves were
so well treated by their masters that they at this time claim kindred
with the children of the masters and the families of the masters are
so tender in speaking to them of it that they do not let them know,
unless they become too familiar or make the claim too bold, when a few,
very few words will halt them in their claim for all time. These slave
children are the kind that are mostly the Indians that are left today,
and trying to make themselves and the white man believe that they
know the true legends of the Klamath Indians, when in truth they do
not know, and what they do know, such as not being allowed in certain
places, and their birth and so on, they deny to the whites so as to
hide their once low standing.
These slaves were married off, and any and all were allowed to redeem
themselves, to buy their freedom. Many in war times, for bravery and
daring deeds gained their liberty, and after gaining it would be
successful, become rich and buy back their brothers and sisters, or
a part of them that they liked best; and after a long time, by good
marriage, they could get their family back to a good standing among the
people, but they are kept close track of through the generations and
can never get to where one of them can become a Talth and go through
the secrets of the lodge or order. They must be of free born parentage
for all time before they are admitted to be a Talth. By this the reader
can understand that only the learned ones are competent to give the
true legends of their people, just as it is with the whites or other
people.