Developments in Western Oregon Tribal Archives David G. Lewis, PhD Tribal Historian Manager of the Exhibits and Archives Program Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde

Tribal needs To support tribal needs to exist and develop within the United States To support sovereignty, self determination of the tribes To reverse centuries of taking from the tribes To develop resources for the next generation of tribal scholars.

Collaborations & Training Special Collections, Knight Library, UO Department of Anthropology, UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History, UO Graduate School, UO Smithsonian Institution National Anthropological Archives National Archives Records Administration OSU Special Collections

First Major Project: SWORP Three projects 1995, 1998, 2006 Two Potlatches 1997, 2001 17 tribes received copies of documents All Oregon tribes received full collections ~150,000 pages of documents recovered Main archive is at the University of Oregon Members of 5 Oregon tribes were researchers Created trained researchers, archivists, PhDs and MAs.

Goals Return ethnographic information to the Oregon tribes. Train tribal scholars in archival research. Answer questions of missing eras of Oregon native history (Cultural Black Hole). Create local collection with public accessibility for researchers. Establish relationships between tribes and academic institutions. Supports Tribal Sovereignty though documented “Paper-proof” of cultural and political existence since before settlement.

What is the Black Hole? A general lack of knowledge by the public of the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of Oregon Many think the tribes are extinct A paucity of representation in history and textbooks Erroneous representation in many books, websites, film The most prevalent characterization is association with casinos, a phenomenon of only the past 20 years.

SWORP I: Series I Ethnographic Records Milhau 191 Sketch showing relative positions of the mouths of Yakonen, Alseya, and Siusclau Rivers, Oregon Territory, 1856

SWORP II: Series 2 Government Records Siletz Agency Sanitation Report March 1892

SWORP III - Summer 2006: National Archives Records Administration Recovered over 700 letters from 1897 alone (2609 scans), over 7X the number of letters found by using the microfilm index. Used new protocols to find the correspondence, by looking at every letter in the year, and scanning them into a digital collection. Recovered Allotment files for Klamath Agency, Roseburg, Warm Springs, Grand Ronde, Siletz, Burns, including a Plat map of Klamath agency.

SWORP III: Burns allotment request 1897 Paiutes that remained in the area or returned following termination of the Malheur Reservation.

Burns Allotment Schedules Cheryle Kennedy is Chair of the Grand Ronde Tribal Council and married to Vernon Kennedy from Burns. Kennedy=Canada?

Klamath letter about cutting of 20,000 BF lumber from the reservation by local farmer

Off-reservation allotments: Roseburg Yoncalla Kalapuya Yoncalla Kalapuya

Klamath plat map

Grand Ronde projects 2007, 2010- NARA Seattle 2006-Present- Oregon Historical Society Library, Oregon State Library, Oregon State Archives, Numerous county historical societies. 2014- NARA Wash. DC, NAA Suitland, MA

Additional developments Chair of the Oregon Heritage Commission Advisory Committee at Oregon Historical Society Library Participated in numerous archival and heritage projects in Oregon, to answer questions about how to help declining heritage organizations. Oregon Tribal Archives Institute, 2012, helped train tribal archivists in professional methods in collaboration with OSU and UO. (forthcoming Article in Journal of Western Archives) Designed Archival and collections spaces for the building of the Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center, CTGR, Manager of the collections and research programs. Other collaborations with Willamette University, Western Oregon Joined North West Archivists, editor of JWA, special issue of JWA on Tribal Archives. Using the collections to research and write the history of the tribe.

Thank you In Memory of: Dr. George Wasson (Coquille) David G. Lewis, PhD David.lewis@grandronde.org In Memory of: Dr. George Wasson (Coquille)