Chinook Resilience: Heritage and Cultural Revitalization on the Lower Columbia River

by Jon D. Daehnke, Tony A. Johnson (Foreword)

The Chinook Indian Nation--whose ancestors lived along both shores of the lower Columbia River, as well as north and south along the Pacific coast at the river's mouth--continue to reside near traditional lands. Because of its nonrecognized status, the Chinook Indian Nation often faces challenges in its efforts to claim and control cultural heritage and its own history and to assert a right to place on the Columbia River.

Chinook Resilience is a collaborative ethnography of how the Chinook Indian Nation, whose land and heritage are under assault, continues to move forward and remain culturally strong and resilient. Jon Daehnke focuses on Chinook participation in archaeological projects and sites of public history as well as the tribe's role in the revitalization of canoe culture in the Pacific Northwest. This lived and embodied enactment of heritage, one steeped in reciprocity and protocol rather than documentation and preservation of material objects, offers a tribally relevant, forward-looking, and decolonized approach for the cultural resilience and survival of the Chinook Indian Nation, even in the face of federal nonrecognition.

Genres: History, Indigenous

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[Mallory McGuire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book length essay exploring some issues relating to the history, lifestyle and decolonization of the Chinook people, and the Chinook Indian Nation. I think the main value is that it is a fantastic window into the culture and values of the contemporary Chinook people. There is fantastic lessons on their history, and on decolonization and what that means for them. It also has great lessons for anthropologists. It is written by an anthropologist, and as an anthropology major it gave me some things to really think about and chew on. While this might be of only regional significance and relatability, I think anthropologists and specialists of Native American studies beyond the PNW can find a lot of value here. For those in the PNW, anthropologist or not, this is well worth the read. I think it is outright essential if you live in the area of the Chinook Indian Nation. I took a point off for a few inaccuracies and dry or repetitive moments but generally I was able to really be immersed in the storytelling and discussion Daehnke does.

[Josh Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply respect what he’s accomplished in this book