History Pub - The Klamath Termination Act of 1954: To Help Native Americans or Take What They Have?

McMenamins and Deschutes Historical Museum present
History Pub

The Klamath Termination Act of 1954: To Help Native Americans or Take What They Have?
Presented by Perry Chocktoot

McMenamins Old St. Francis School
Father Luke’s Room
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
7pm/doors 6pm
$5
All ages welcome

In 1954, the Klamath Termination Act of 1954 revoked the federal recognition of the Klamath Tribes which resulted in the sale of their tribal lands. Join Klamath tribal member Perry Chocktoot for a presentation on the history of this termination, its impacts, and the long fight for tribal restoration.

Perry Chocktoot is a member of all three of the Klamath Tribes: Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin Paiute. He was raised in the traditional lands of the Klamath Tribes, and the history of his family is found throughout the area. Chocktoot is the former director of the Culture and Heritage Department, former chairman of the Intertribal Fish and Water Commission, and former member of the Oregon Governor’s Task Force for Cultural Resource Identification. He also conducts the Annual C’waam Ceremony of the Klamath Tribes. Chocktoot’s parents, grandparents and Elders raised him to be self-sufficient and live off of the land and waterways. As a lifelong fisherman, Chocktoot is active in the restoration of the C’waam fishery and supports stream restoration to aid in environmental recovery.

You may also like the following events from McMenamins History:

• Next Monday, 29th September, 07:00 pm, History Pub - Draw a Pint with Blackfish Gallery in Portland
• Next Tuesday, 30th September, 07:00 pm, History Pub - Public Lands: An American Story in Bend
• Next month, 27th October, 07:00 pm, History Pub - First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry in Portland