Klamath

Member of an American Indian tribe who inhabited the Great Basin region of Oregon and California until the mid-19th century. They spoke a Lutuamian language belonging to the Penutian family, and were closely related to the Modoc. Living along lakes and rivers, they fished, hunted, and gathered food. They raided other tribes, sometimes taking captives as slaves, but adopted friendly trading relations with white settlers. In 1864 they ceded vast tracts of territory for a reservation in Oregon, but lost this along with federal recognition in 1954. Many Klamath remain in Oregon and, although tribal recognition was restored in 1986, campaigns continue for return of their land.

Under the 1864 treaty with the US government, the Klamath, along with the Modoc and Yahooskin peoples, signed away about 8 million ha/20 million acres of land in return for a shared reservation. These landholdings and government-supported programmes were taken away by the Klamath Termination Act, passed by Congress in 1954, which cancelled their federal recognition.

Klamath

River flowing through southern Oregon and northern California, USA; length 400 km/250 mi. It is fed by the waters of Upper Klamath Lake, at Klamath Falls, Oregon, and flows southwest into California and out to the Pacific Ocean at Requa.

Course It winds through the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California, receiving the Shasta River north of Yreka, the Scott River at Hamburg, and the Salmon River at Somesbar, all from the southeast. Near Weitschpec, in the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, it is joined by the Trinity River, from the south, before flowing to the Pacific.

The Klamath's upper reaches in Oregon flow through open country, while its course in California takes it through high, heavily forested mountains, where it cuts a deep valley.