Tag: Lewis and Clark

Anthropology, colonization, columbia river, General History, Grand Ronde Reservation, Oregon indians1 Comment

Nichaqwali Watlala peoples at Blue Lake

David G. Lewis, PhD

The Nichaqwali people, a Cascades/Watlala Chinookan band, lived at the juncture of several cultural groups that lived in the larger region of the lower Columbia and who interacted along the Columbia River and at what is now called Blue Lake. The village itself sits within the territories of two major ethnographic tribes on the Columbia, the Cascades (Watlata) and the Clackamas.  The village was documented by Lewis and Clark who traveled on the Columbia River in 1805-1806. April 2, 1806-  The party was camped at the Quicksand River [Sandy] encampment. and on the embarkment of Clark to go to the … Continue reading Nichaqwali Watlala peoples at Blue Lake

education, Native Issues, Oral History, Personal History, UncategorizedLeave a comment

American Mythic Origins, Thanksgiving, Mascots and the Oregon Trail

David G. Lewis, PhD

Over the last week I have taped at least two shows for the radio about my thoughts about Thanksgiving. Suddenly everyone wants to know what “Natives” think about this holiday. I think its a reaction to recent activities around Native American month and Indigenous People’s days. Indigenous people’s days have now become a big social movement with many cities moving to eliminate Columbus Day, and institute an Indigenous day of recognition in its place. This was a movement I was in the middle of in the 1990s at the University of Oregon, and more recently worked last year to begin … Continue reading American Mythic Origins, Thanksgiving, Mascots and the Oregon Trail

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Change Comes to the Tillikum – The Lewis and Clark Expedition

David G. Lewis, PhD

Indigenous Cartography Tribal peoples had an encyclopedic knowledge of their land and that of the neighboring tribes who were their relatives and longtime trading partners. Some tribal people would travel very far from their home villages to trade for the choicest resources. Trading hubs like Celilo and Willamette Falls attracted tribes from far upriver enabling tribal people to learn much about their river highways, including the names of landmarks and peoples. The tribes were knowledgeable enough about their regions that when Lewis and Clark explored the Columbia River, the explorers used information gleaned from local tribes to navigate their path … Continue reading Change Comes to the Tillikum – The Lewis and Clark Expedition