Last Wave

Siletz Indians at Depoe Bay

The Siletz were a tribe of Salishan-speaking Native Americans who inhabited an area along the central coast of Oregon near the Siletz River until the middle of the 19th century. The tribe was the southernmost group of the larger Coast Salish culture which was centered near the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound in and Washington.

The Siletz were closely related in language and culture to the Tillamook tribe to their north along the Oregon Coast. During or after the Rogue River Wars of 1855-56, members of the tribe were moved to a reservation as part of the larger Confederated Tribes of Siletz. After relocation, they were no longer counted separately. The Salishan language of the Siletz is extinct.