For a long time, the original native peoples of Salem, the Chemeketan Kalapuyans have been ignored by the city of Salem. The original name of this place was Chemeketa, and the Chemeketans lived here for thousands of years before non-native peoples arrived on the continent. The Chemeketans helped the early settlers build houses and farms upon these lands and their children came to the early boarding school to be educated. The settlers subsequently labelled them as vagrants and joined with other Americans to have them removed to the reservation. They subsequently lost all rights to leave the reservation, all land, and were forced into poverty. What happened to their peaceful Kalapuyans was a travesty and the Americans need to know this and admit that it was not right and the actions their ancestors took were not what should have happened to these people. There may never be enough that can be done to make up for these injustices, but the people who now inhabit the city have a responsibility to make sure the truth is told.

We petition the City of Salem to make every effort to teach the history of the Kalapuyan tribes, and specifically about the Chemeketans in schools, and to honor the Kalapuya tribes by supplying public education and information so that all citizens and visitors may know who the original peoples of this land were, the Chemeketans.