Umpqua Indians

The Umpqua people are an umbrella group of several distinct tribal entities of Native Americans of the Umpqua Basin in present-day south west Oregon in the United States. The area north and west of Roseburg is now known as the Umpqua Valley. At least four tribal groups have historically lived in the Umpqua River Basin: the Southern Molalla, the Lower Umpqua tribe, the Upper Umpqua tribe, and the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Native Americans. Before European settlement in the region, the tribes spoke several different languages, including Siuslaw (Lower Umpqua), Yoncalla (Southern Kalapuya), Upper Umpqua, Takelma, and the Molalla language. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Native American settlement in the Umpqua region began at least 8,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. The name "Umpqua" likely derives from a Tolowa word for "a place along the river." Other theories report that "Umpqua" means "thundering water," "dancing water" or "bring across the river."