Description
The Atfalati also known as the Tualatin or Wapato Lake Indians are a tribe of the Kalapuya Native Americans who originally inhabited and continue to steward some 24 villages on the Tualatin Plains in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Oregon; the Atfalati also live in the hills around Forest Grove, along Wapato Lake and the north fork of the Yamhill River, and into areas of Southern Portland. The last chief of the Tualatins, Kayacach (also known as Kiacut), tried to save a portion of their homeland for the tribe. In 1851, he and other leaders signed a treaty with the U.S. government that would have created a reservation centered on Wapato Lake, which used to lie just east of Gaston.
Language
The Atfalati speak the Tualatin-Yamhill (Northern Kalapuya) language, which is one of the three Kalapuyan languages.
Culture
The northernmost band of Kalapuyans, the Atfalati practiced an annual “Seasonal Round” harvesting plants, fish and game at specifically planned times. Managing the land through burning ensured soil fertility and annual regrowth. Camas bulbs that grew in oak savannahs and wetland wapato tubers were staple foods, harvested and processed for winter stock and trade. Women picked wapato by wading through the floodplains, popping up the tubers with their toes and gathering in handmade baskets.