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Klamath elder Barbara Farmer Alatorre keeps track of tribal history
Special to The Oregonian
October 08, 2010
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As a Klamath tribe historian, Farmer Alatorre has spend a lifetime gathering information and documents about the Klamath people and the tribe's "termination" -- the process in which the U.S. government made deals with tribe members in the 1950s that dissolved the Klamath reservation in southern Oregon.
Farmer Alatorre's rich life was celebrated recently with a dinner, gifting and story sharing as part of a new program, "Honoring Our Elders." Rather that waiting until an elder has "gone home," the Portland Youth and Elders Council is honoring elders still living, said organizer Donita Fry. Among the attendees at Farmer Alatorre's celebration were Klamath tribal leaders and former Oregon Gov. Vic Atiyeh.
Farmer Alatorre moved to Portland with her mother in the 1950s from southern Oregon, when the federal government was working on "termination of federal supervision" of the tribe. Tribal members were given the choice of withdrawing for a cash payment, or remaining and facing an uncertain future with increasing government involvement.
"We'd always have good timber at different parts of the reservation," Farmer Alatorre said. "We never clear cut. It was such a good money-maker that the U.S. Congress took over our land.
"The doctor told my mom she had high blood pressure and to move to Portland. A lot of people left. Some were transferred to train for jobs. It was strange for them to come to a big city. A big percent failed out of that."
Farmer Alatorre, the youngest of five children, was in fifth grade when her family moved to the Gresham area. Her mother worked at a Hood River cannery.
As an adult, Farmer Alatorre researched libraries all over the state and talked to attorneys, anthropologists, historians and others about the Klamath tribe and the tribe's termination.
"I copied everything I could find," she said. "I have boxes full -- maybe 10 to 12 boxes full. Thousands and thousands of pages."
Bill Ray, a friend and tribal member, said Farmer Alatorre doesn't just learn through documents.
"She would be a person who would stand up in front of a meeting and ask questions," said Ray. "Barbara has made an impact by the fact that she has always been there to be a participant in whatever discussions are going on. Having that kind of presence in the community is important."
Farmer Alatorre has contributed to an Oregon Public Broadcasting documentary about the Klamath people and has served on the American Indian Council and Oregon committees dealing with Native American issues, such as the Legislative Commission on Indian Services. She also started a Delta Park powwow that attracts dancers and drummers from all over the Northwest.
Taylor R. David, editor of the Klamath News and public information officer of the Klamath Tribes, said Farmer Alatorre has been a mentor and an inspiration.
"She was kind of the cog to the wheel in Portland, if you needed support, if you needed anything," David said.
She stayed strong and active after the move from her tribal home, David said.
"She didn't fold up like a flower. She said, 'My culture's still alive. I'm going to dance. I'm going to powwow.'"
David said the newspaper once printed a photo from the 1860s with treaty signers named. Farmer Alatorre called David to say the date was off by a few years and that were actually a dozen more treaty signers who weren't pictured.
"I love Barbara, and I appreciate her," David said. "Nobody can make it in this world alone. It's always comforting when you have tribal elders to turn to and ask,"
Though bedridden with illness for the past several years, Farmer Alatorre has been writing a book on the Klamath tribe termination for more than 20 years. Two sons live with her in the Lents neighborhood to help her.
"All of the things that happened to us -- it was a stressful life," she said. "It was for all the tribal members."
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