The Yamhill County Historical Society is excited to announce its first Secrets of the Past program of 2024 “Tribal Stories of the Willamette Valley” with speaker David G. Lewis. The program will be held at the Yamhill Valley Heritage Center.
Discover Oregon’s history through Willamette Valley Indigenous stories, from oral to written. For thousands of years, Kalapuya, Chinook, Molalla, and other tribes lived in the Willamette Valley’s rivers, forests, and mountains. These events are mostly unrecorded, incomplete, poorly researched, or partially told. Oregon Indigenous historian David G. Lewis uses years of historical study and oral storytelling to share Native perspectives on the Willamette Valley’s history, supplemented by photos and maps.
It covers the early years of contact between Europeans and tribes, the US Federal government’s acquisition of tribal territory and construction of reservations, and boarding schools’ integration attempts. Lewis displays Native American resilience against colonization. Unearthing these traditions provides the whole story of Willamette Valley Native peoples’ colonization and changes, which other Oregon histories lack.
Mr. Lewis will host a book signing at 5:30 p.m., with books available for purchase, and the program will start at 6:00 p.m.
Free for members, $5 for non-members.
The Yamhill County Historical Society began in 1957. The Society houses the vast Museum’s collections, research library, changing exhibits, store, and administrative offices.
