Rubin's book

[Linda Fink]

>It would help if there were more available CORRECT information in print or
>on the Web on the various native peoples of this region, which of course is
>properly a task for native peoples themselves, or those intimately familiar
>with their issues and ideas.  Then you would have a better-informed
>non-native authorship whenever cultus whiteman writings on native peoples
>get into print.   I myselfwould like to be able to find out a lot more
>about the Chinook, Yakima, Nez Perce and other peoples from "the other side
>of the line", and it would also be good if more BC First Nations "made
>their presence known" on the Web; it's amazing what even the Taino and
>Choctaw have on line, never mind the extensive web presences of the Navajo,
>Ojibway, Lakota, and Cherokee; I wish there were more web-presentations and
>gateways from Northwest Native peoples.  Despite the profound artistic
>rebirth among BC's coastal peoples, and BC's dynamic native political
>arena, there is little in the way of public information (cultural or
>political) on the Web.  Washington's Suguamish (www.suguamish.org or
>www.suguamish.com maybe) have done a great job with their site, and one of
>the earliest members of the CHINOOK list - a young Chinook tribe member -
>put up what I thought was a well-done history of his people (although he
>got into trouble for it as I recall).  I tried to talk my Stl'atl'imx
>friends into asserting their territory on the Web, but they contended that
>they had enough on their hands dealing with immediate territorial claims .
>. . ;-) . . . and viewed the Web as "whitemans illahee" anyway (though they
>didn't use that particular term).

Good point. Maybe Rubin will inspire those with more accurate knowledge to
get their information out there.

>> Okay, you Native Americans and students of Northwest Native Americans --
>>what do you think about Beckham's book, "The Indians of Western Oregon"?
>>I've always assumed it was giving me the straight skinny. Is it?
>
>Is this an old curriculum thing in the US?  Haven't heard of it.  I _do_
>have an old and probably very icky Washington State publication on the
>Indians of Washington State; sort of a pamphlet thing, reminiscent of the
>old Royal BC Museum native-culture pamphlets.
>
Someone who knows more will hopefully answer this question. All I know is
Stephen Dow Beckham is a historian who wrote several histories of Oregon
Territory Native Americans. It is extensively footnoted. This particular
book (the full title is "The Indians of Western Oregon. This Land was
Theirs") was copyrighted in 1977. I bought it when we first moved to Grand
Ronde (in, coincidentally, 1977) to learn more about the history of this area.

Linda F.
>
>