Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley

by David G. Lewis

From oral history to written word, learn about the history of Oregon through the stories of the Indigenous peoples of the Willamette Valley.





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stories, enriched by photographs and maps, Oregon Indigenous historian David G. Lewis combines years of researching historical documents and collecting oral stories, highlighting Native perspectives about the history of the Willamette Valley as they experienced it.





The timeline spans the first years of contact between settlers and tribes, the takeover of tribal lands and creation of reservations by the US Federal Government, and the assimilation efforts of boarding schools. Lewis shows the resiliency of Native peoples in the face of colonization.



Undoing the erasure of these stories reveals the fuller picture of the colonization and changes experienced by the Native peoples of the Willamette Valley absent from other contemporary histories of Oregon.

329 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing history of the Willamette valley tribes and their struggle to survive when their land was taken over by white settlers. Also included is excellent history of all the west-side tribes in Oregon. Quoted sources are excellent and very revealing.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Nothing Ever Dies, the brilliant Viet Than Nguyen talks about how what memorials a country or culture erects says a lot about what they value. Nations don't tend to create memorials for their crimes and oppression but, as Nguyen points out, these would be more important than any other memorial so that future generations don't forget and reproduce the same oppression.

The U.S. is lousy at remembering its past misdeeds, and so it is left to Native scholars and writers and artists to create these memorials. David G. Lewis uses painstaking research and scholarship to unearth what was done to the peoples of the Willamette Valley in the 1800s and re-center the Native perspective and their stories.

Look, straight up: this isn't a fun read but it is necessary.

[Liora Ellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley is a powerful, deeply researched, and necessary work that brings long-overlooked Indigenous histories to light. David G. Lewis weaves oral traditions, archival research, and Native perspectives into a compelling narrative that reclaims the story of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Through vivid storytelling, photographs, and maps, Lewis highlights both the trauma of colonization and the resilience of the Kalapuya, Chinook, Molalla, and other tribes. This book not only fills gaps left by traditional histories but also challenges readers to confront the impact of erasure and appreciate the enduring strength of Native communities. Essential reading for all Oregonians.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley. " It was so interesting to read about tribal activities all around
our Willamette Valley in Oregon. I've wanted to know more about the tribes on the Grand Ronde reservation, so I found those entries especially fascinating. So many tribes represented in that Confederation! I was wishing there were more stories about the elders' memories. Maybe that's David Lewis's next book?

[Kelly Alberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The depth of scholarship and care in these pages is remarkable. Undoing the erasure of Native voices, Lewis gives readers a fuller, more honest picture of Oregon’s past one that honors resilience, survival, and the enduring strength of Indigenous peoples. Beautifully written and deeply moving, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the history of the Pacific Northwest beyond the surface. It’s both enlightening and profoundly necessary."*