In honor of Native American Heritage month in November, we will be reading Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley, by Dr. David Lewis. The book is available online for purchase or at your local library.

Book Description: “The Willamette Valley is rich with history—its riverbanks, forests, and mountains home to the tribes of Kalapuya, Chinook, Molalla, and more for thousands of years. This history has been largely unrecorded, incomplete, poorly researched, or partially told. In these stories, enriched by photographs and maps, Oregon Indigenous historian David G. Lewis combines years of researching historical documents and collecting oral stories, highlighting Native perspectives about the history of the Willamette Valley as they experienced it.” —Ooligan Press

About the Author:  “David G. Lewis, PhD, is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a descendant of the Takelma, Chinook, Molalla, and Santiam Kalapuya peoples of western Oregon. David has engaged in research on the tribal histories of Northwest Coastal peoples, specializing in the Western Oregon Tribes. David served as the director of the Southwest Oregon Research Project Collection at the UO, and was the Culture Department manager of the Grand Ronde Tribe for 8 years. David has a PhD in anthropology from the University of Oregon (2009) and teaches full time in Anthropology and Indigenous Studies at OSU. David’s research essays about the histories of the tribes are published on the blogsite The Quartux Journal: ndnhistoryresearch.com. David lives in Salem with his wife Donna, and sons Inatye and Saghaley.” —Oregon State University, College of Liberal Arts

Reading & Discussion Schedule:

The book club will take place over three meetings and will include facilitated discussions on chapters of the book.

Session 1, November 6th, 6:00-7:30pm 

• Read: Introductions and the first three chapters
• Discussion Questions will be sent out to participants on October 13th

Session 2, November 20th, 6:00-7:30 

• Read: Last three chapters, including the timeline in the back of the book
• Review: Oregon Tribes and Lands 1840- to present day StoryMap
• Discussion Questions will be sent out to participants on November 10th

Session 3, December 4th, 6:00-7:30. Potluck!

• Bring (optional): A snack or beverage to share, any additional resources you’d like to bring to the group

• Discussion Questions will be sent out to participants on November 24th. We will be reflecting on potential conversations that people brought to Thanksgiving gatherings, and also sharing resources with one another.