Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley

Tribal Histories of the Willamette ValleyFrom 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 historyits 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

a man teaches his grandchild about the Ojibwe Horses that used to roam the forests of northwestern Ontario

we are all connected to each other and the natural world

clear freshwater streams and the tents the people slept in

the pipe and the eagle

At the turn of the twentieth century

informed by a series of poignant encounters: a heart-to-heart with fellow doctoral student River over the mounting pressure placed on marginalized scholars

while recognizing the importance of tribal wisdom

despite centuries of colonialism

Existing along a broad narrative spectrum

But a surprise ally comes to their aid

and always practical

and microbes produced unforeseen wealth