bad local historians & the Chinook

[peter webster]

Aron--
I'll let Tony and Robert answer for themselves, however I have a few
thoughts on Mr Rubin's "work".

One of the pieces of awful misinformation floating around is that many
Indian Nations are extinct. Clearly, from Tony's post, as well as Robert's,
the Chinooks are not extinct. This seems to be a very very basic fact
overlooked by Mr Rubin. By declaring a people non-existent, a
writer-researcher is able to save a lot of work--no need to do field work,
interviews, listen to oral histories, deal with complex situations, etc.,
etc.. One of the most complex of those situations is the ongoing abuse of
Indian people by government--as well as the institutionalized racism of
American society--like by declaring a people extinct when they aren't.
Doing this is insulting, arrogant, and shallow.

Another complex situation involving today's Chinook people is the alarming
birthrate up at Shoalwater Bay: there almost is NOT a birthrate, because of
the number of miscarriages there. The Shoalwaters are very poor and its a
small reservation, so very little investigation has been done on this
problem...sort of, well, they're pretty much extinct, so who cares...

What books to read? Well, of the white commentators, there is Lewis and
Clark. There are various Hudson's Bay Company journals in print. Mooney has
some information on the Chinookians of upriver. Carry with you an awareness
of their cultural values as you read.

I assume, from your email addy, you're around Portland? Warm Springs had a
lot of info. So does the Oregon Historical Society. Grand Ronde is in the
process of building a museum and has a great language and culture program.
The U of O has a wealth of material. One of the outstanding Chinook
scholars hangs out at P.S.U.. Contact the Indian organizations here in
Portland. Talk to He Who Laughs a Lot at KBOO!

Anyhow, that's my rap. And I'm sticking to it...











>Robert and Tony,
>
>As another shy person, who first posted a notice of the book on this site,
>could I
>ask you to expand on your comments a little further:
>
>Rubin's book was an attempt to create a holistic look at life in the lower
>Columbia
>during the 30 years prior to and after Lewis and Clark -- 1770 to 1830.  I
>live on
>the shores of this same water and have often wondered what a life on the
>river was
>like back then.  You have attacked the KBOO blurb for errors in detail and/or
>poetic use of language, and Rick for personal gaffes, but as to the
>overall book,
>has anyone else successfully attempted the same subject?  Seriously, is
>there a
>better book to teach from for that period?
>
>Also, 2004-5 is fast approaching and there will be many people visiting
>from across
>the country, trying to understand that era in the history of the northwest.
>Hopefully someone will provide a readily accessible, easily readable
>presentation.
>Is Rubin's book really as bad as you say?  By the way, I didn't see
>anything in the
>book that claimed that the Chinook are extinct?  The book does portray in
>detail
>how the whites back then largely destroyed a way of life for a very large
>community
>that existed at that time.  You are both obviously very knowledgeable in this
>subject -- is his whole approach or thesis wrong?  Or is there another
>issue here?
>
>Aron Faegre
>
>Robert Moore wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have "lurked" on this list since shortly after its inception, but have
>> never before spoken up, being an excessively shy person, as will become
>> clear.
>>
>> Seriously, having just read Tony Johnson's excellent letter(s), I want to
>> register my enthusiastic agreement with everything he said.  I have no
>> Native ancestors (so far as I know), but I have since the early 1980s done
>> linguistic and ethnographic fieldwork with many people of Chinookan
>> descent--fluent Chinookan speakers, semi-fluent ones (by their own
>> estimation, not mine), and many others, at Warm Springs, Yakama, and
>> elsewhere in the region.  I have always valued their friendship, to say
>> nothing of their extraordinary forebearance in the face of my many gaffes
>> and stumbles, linguistic and otherwise--and I have never gotten the
>> impression that any of them were "extinct."  Quite the contrary.
>>
>> I would never describe these people as "wealthy, plump and sleek," and I
>> never met anybody who "drank sea lion oil straight," whatever that might
>> mean.  This is really about as unseemly as it gets, in my opinion.
>>
>> Subscribers to this list should know (if they don't already) that Rick
>> Rubin has been "operating" for a long time in the Portland area, much to
>> the infuriation of me and many others (Native and non-Native) who care, and
>> actually know something about, the Indian people of the area; this latest
>> is only one in a long series of (self-published) books, each one seemingly
>> more obnoxious, misleading, and ignorant than the last.  And now apparently
>> he is making public appearances where he sometimes has the misfortune to
>> meet people face to face whom he has declared "extinct."  Good enough for
>> him, I say, though silence--radio and otherwise--would be far preferable.
>> It is dismaying to hear that KBOO has given him a "platform" to air his
>> views, but then KBOO, while mostly well-intentioned, has perhaps never been
>> accused of being a citadel of worldly sophistication, political or
>> otherwise.  (Memo to the station manager: more conspiracy theories,
>> please!).
>>
>> Not that infuriating me, or Tony Johnson's aunties, was probably ever
>> Rubin's intention--becoming "wealthy, plump and sleek" is probably more
>> like it.  I really don't know what he is up to, but if that's his plan,
>> let's none of us do anything to help him.  He is, to borrow a lexical item
>> from a language that contributed significantly (though far less than 55%)
>> to our beloved Chinook Wawa, a _poseur_, at best--_pas serieux_.
>>
>> For reference purposes I append below a copy of Tony Johnson's fine message
>> of earlier today, as well as the repellent blurbology that accompanied
>> KBOO's announcement of the 6 December appearance (apologies for this last
>> item).  Thanks for "list[en]ing," and keep up the good work.
>>
>> Klahawya,
>>
>> Robert Moore
>>
>> Robert E. Moore
>> Department of Anthropology
>> New York University
>> 25 Waverly Place
>> New York, NY    10003
>>
>> 212-998-8559 (tel)
>> 212-995-4014 (fax)
>> <rem10 at is5.nyu.edu> email
>>
>> >Delivered-To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>> >Mime-Version: 1.0
>> >Date:         Wed, 8 Dec 1999 12:02:51 -0800
>> >Reply-To: Tony Johnson <tony.johnson at GRANDRONDE.ORG>
>> >Sender: The Chinook List <CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
>> >From: Tony Johnson <tony.johnson at GRANDRONDE.ORG>
>> >Subject:      [ykboo] Tonight's Talking Earth-- Monday 12/6 KBOO : 10
>>PM (fwd)
>>               -Reply
>> >Comments: To: peterweb at TELEPORT.COM
>> >To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>>
>> >Kanawi-Laksta,
>> >
>> >Nayka na dret sick tEmtEm...I pushed the wrong button and sent this
>> >before I intended.
>> >
>> >Forgive me but, this man, his publicity, and his book are really
>> >starting to burn my butt (for lack of a better expression).
>> >
>> >For those of you who don't know me let me qualify my statements.  I am a
>> >Chinook Indian.  I am Kathlamet, Lower Chinook and Clatsop.  My great
>> >great gradmother was born in her Kathlamet speaking village just East of
>> >Gray's river.  Her husband, my great great grandfather, was born on the
>> >"Wallicut" River.  They lived in my grandma's village.  Their daughter,
>> >my father's grandmother, was born there also.  She later moved with many
>> >of our people to a still occupied village at Bat Center, WA  (in
>> >Shoalwater Bay, Chinook country).  My grandfather was born in that
>> >village.  Both my father and I were born just a few miles down the Bay
>> >from there in South Bend, WA.
>> >
>> >There are many Chinooks living today.  We signed treaties in 1853.  We
>> >were party to a treaty in 1850 (we wouldn't sign because it asked us to
>> >move to the Quinault reservation).  We all fished and hunted as Indians
>> >until 1973 when the boldt desicion took away our rights (we are not a
>> >treaty tribe).  Also, we own over 50% of the Quinault reservation's
>> >land.  We still have a large fleet of gillnetters, and by the way I am
>> >here in Grand Ronde, OR teaching a language made up of 55%of our old
>> >Chinook language.  We still have traditional weavers, gatherers, etc.
>> >
>> >All this is to say that this man spent over 10 years reading books about
>> >Chinooks, and it seems that he primarilly learned the misinformation
>> >that tends to fill them.  I don't believe he ever talked to any Indians
>> >when he wrote this book.  To write this book without speaking to my
>> >people, Grand Ronde (Clackamas), Warm Springs(Wasco) and Yakima(Wishxam)
>> >is foolish.
>> >
>> >One other thing.  He just did a speaking engagment at the Historical
>> >Society in my home town South Bend, WA.  While there my aunites and
>> >uncles came from our village of Bay Center.  He actually argued with
>> >them about out tribe being extinct.?!?!  These are women and men who are
>> >traditional fishernmen and basket makers, and all of them were given
>> >land on the Quinault reservation as Chinook Indians.
>> >
>> >Forgive my ranting, but someone needs to stop people from perpetuating
>> >old stereotypes and misinformed ideas.
>> >
>> >I have more to say, but I have got to go.  LaXayEm pi hayu mersi pus
>> >hayu kEmtEks qhata na tiki wawa.
>> >
>> >Tony A. Johnson, Chinook
>> >Grand Ronde, OR
>> >
>> >>>> peter webster <peterweb at TELEPORT.COM> 12/06/99 02:30am >>>
>> >>X-From_: owner-ykboo at holodoc.peak.org Mon Dec 06 21:53:34 1999
>> >>Delivered-To: peterweb at teleport.com
>> >>Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 13:48:00 -0800 (PST)
>> >>From: MichaelP <papadop at peak.org>
>> >>X-Sender: papadop at kira
>> >>To: Yaney_Maciver at ex.cv.hp.com, cherie <cblackfeather at uswest.net>,
>> >>        crowx4 at hotmail.com, ingramm at ccmail.orst.edu,
>> >>        Jessica Lamb <jessl at caclbca.org>, weaverr at ucs.orst.edu,
>> >ykboo at peak.org
>> >>Subject: [ykboo] Tonight's Talking Earth-- Monday 12/6 KBOO : 10 PM
>> >(fwd)
>> >>MIME-Version: 1.0
>> >>Sender: owner-ykboo at peak.org
>> >>Precedence: bulk
>> >>
>> >>Subject: Tonight's Talking Earth-- Monday 12/6 KBOO 90.7 FM,92.7FM,
>> >>100.7FM 10 PM
>> >>
>> >>Talking Earth Monday Night December 6, 1999
>> >>Naked Against the Rain and the craft of Enduring and Beautiful Books
>> >with
>> >>Rick Rubin and John Laursen
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> "Once there was a people so wealthy, plump and sleek that they drank
>> >sea
>> >>lion oil straight and didn't have to look for food all winter long.
>> >They
>> >>danced and sang and recited stories instead.  These people's upriver
>> >>neighbors bent under ninety-pound packs.  These people just carried
>> >their big
>> >>boat down to their river, piled in several tons of trade goods--
>> >cranberry
>> >>preserved, smoked salmon, dried clams, six or seven kinds of
>> >vegetables, fur
>> >>robes, and arrow-proof armor-- and paddled a hundred miles or so up the
>> >river
>> >>to trade.
>> >>
>> >>"They were not just rich but highly intelligent and comparatively sane.
>> >>Their numerous villages of fancifully decorated houses lined the shores
>> >of
>> >>the mighty river, from which they drew most of their living and much of
>> >their
>> >>pleasure.  That river-- we call it the Columbia-- was all they ever
>> >wanted.
>> >>It provided them with more than they could use.  Fish in profusion swim
>> >up
>> >>the river-- they called it Wimhl-- salmon, sturgeon, smelt and lamprey
>> >came,
>> >>each in its season, to offer their flesh to the people"
>> >>
>> >>                      from "Naked Against the Rain," by Rick Rubin,
>> >>                        Press-22 Books, 1999
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>Rick Rubin,  in the kind of madness that sometimes seizes writers,
>> >needed to
>> >>do research to pin down some details about the way of life of the
>> >people of
>> >>Portland and the lower Columbia River for the second chapter of a book
>> >he
>> >>was writing, and ended up spending more than ten years researching the
>> >>Chinook.
>> >>
>> >>There is little left of Chinook culture now other than evocative
>> >artifact and
>> >>a scattered written  record compiled by whites, largely in diaries and
>> >>letters, and articles in archaeological and historical journals,
>> >student
>> >>papers, magazines and newspapers. Until Naked Against the Rain, only a
>> >few
>> >>books were published that tried to pull all the historical record
>> >together,
>> >>and those few books were marred by cultural prejudice and a dense
>> >academic
>> >>prose.
>> >>
>> >>Naked Against the Rain combines scholarship and accessability in a
>> >>beautifully written book that opens  the window on a way of life and a
>> >people
>> >>which drew on the wealth of the river to make them wealthy, a people
>> >who
>> >>managed their riches so well that they remained wealthy for thousands
>> >of
>> >>years.
>> >>
>> >>Naked Against the Rain is a book that will endure, but, in the kind of
>> >>madness endemic to this country's literary life, Rick spent years
>> >trying to
>> >>find a publisher until, determined to get it out, he published it
>> >himself.
>> >>Like many other Northwest writers whose aim is to produce enduring
>> >>literature,  Rick turned to John Laursen, master book designer, for
>> >help in
>> >>designing and producing.   John joins Rick at 10 P.M. tonight on KBOO
>> >to talk
>> >>with Barbara LaMorticella about the Chinook, and about process
>> >producing
>> >>"Naked in the Rain."
>> >>
>> >>The end of a century which is perilously close to extincting the
>> >biological
>> >>miracles of the salmon and the smelt seems a good time to get a fresh
>> >take on
>> >>our forerunners on the Columbia, and Rick's labor of love will be read
>> >and
>> >>referred to for many years to come.


peter