modokni language
The ancestral home of the Modoc Nation, or Captain Jack’s Band of Modoc Indians, consisted of over 5,000 square miles along what is now the California-Oregon border. On the west loomed the perennially snow-capped peaks of the majestic Cascade Mountains; to the east was a barren wasteland of alkali flats scaling to the peaks of the Warner Mountains in the Sierra-Nevada range; towering forests of Ponderosa pines and shores of majestic bodies of water and rivers were to the north while the Lava Beds, now a National Monument, and the Medicine Lake volcano range to Mount Shasta formed their southern boundary.
When the Modoc War began, the Modoc warriors with their wives and children retreated to the nearby Lava Beds. The War was fought nearly 150 years ago, yet it stands out in American military history as the most incredible of Indian wars. Captain Jack did not muster more than 60 men throughout the War, but for almost eight months he withstood the United States Armed Forces that came to number over a 1,000 men supported by mountain howitzers and coehorn mortars. The Modoc lost only six men by direct combat while the U.S. Army suffered 45 dead including General E.R.S. Canby, the only U.S. General to lose his life in an Indian War. The Modoc War cost the United States government, at its lowest estimate, of the time half a million dollars; that would be roughly $8,500,000 in today’s currency. Considering the number of the enemy, it was probably the costliest Indian war ever fought. In comparison, the reservation requested by the Modoc on Lost River would have cost, at most, $10,000 or $180,000 in today’s currency.
The Modoc Nation is the only tribe relocated to Indian Territory from the West Coast of the United States. The ancestral home of the Modoc Nation, or Captain Jack’s Band of Modoc Indians, consisted of 5,000 square miles along what is now the California-Oregon border. In 1873, at the conclusion of the Modoc War, where Captain Jack and his band of 60 men were able to withstand an army of over 1,000 men for over eight months, Captain Jack and five of his warriors were sentenced to be executed, and the remaining 155 Modoc were transported to Indian Territory. On November 16, 1873, the 2,000-mile early winter journey of the Modoc Prisoners of War finally concluded with their arrival in Baxter Springs, Kansas on via cattle cars. Despite the odds against them, the Modoc men, women and children survived the cruel and harsh times during these early years. They rapidly took hold of their new lives, adapting to the local environment and the ways of the peoples, to survive.
The Modoc and Klamath tribes were terminated from Federal supervision in 1954. Years later all of the tribes in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma banded together to establish the Inter-Tribal Council, Inc. of Northeastern Oklahoma. At that time, the Modoc formed a non-federally recognized tribal government. Bert Hayman, whose mother had been one of the youngest prisoners of war, became the first tribal chairman; followed by Vernon “Dutch” Walker, grandson of James Long, the “Youngest Modoc Warrior.” The Modoc Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma was granted federal recognition in May 1978. The achievement of the 1978 Federal Recognition once again made the Modoc Tribe eligible for Federal assistance. An application was promptly forwarded to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to purchase the Modoc Church and the four acres upon which it stands from the Society of Friends, and to restore the church to its original structure. The grant was awarded but was less than requested.
The Modoc and Klamath Tribes were terminated from federal
supervision in 1954. The Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma continued
to hold a non-federally recognized government and were
finally granted federal recognition in May 1978.
150 years after arrival to Indian Territory, the Modoc Nation
has survived the forced removal from their traditional homeland and remained resilient; celebrating their accomplishments that have sustained them as a Nation on
this land.
