A couple of good books for learning about Grand Ronde

[David Robertson]

LaXiyEm, kanawi-Laksta,

Nixwa dret Lush ukuk san pus mcayka.

"The First Oregonians" was published by the Oregon Council for the
Humanities in 1991, and edited by Carolyn Buan and Richard Lewis.  There
are articles of great interest on the Grand Ronde (written by Yvonne
Hajda) and on the Siletz Reservation (by Cynthia Viles with Tom Grigsby).
The role of Chinook Jargon on both reservations is discussed, as are the
conditions that led to the diversity of both populations.

It's interesting that though both reservations were home to more or
less equally large numbers of ethnic groups, the Siletz had a *majority*
population of speakers of Athapaskan languages, which were fairly mutually
intelligible.  Thus, as is pointed out, Chinook Jargon played a lesser
role in the life of that reservation community.  Grand Ronde, by contrast,
was a mix of quite unrelated languages -- and not only that, but languages
which just previously had been scattered over quite a broad area, thus
not even marriage ties among ethnic groups benefited the newly compact
population, it would seem.

This is a fine book, which is even more clear from the fact that a
biography of Dell Hymes is included, and Henry Zenk is mentioned!

"Native Peoples of the Northwest" is no history book.  Instead, this
volume by Jan Halliday and Gail Chehak, in cooperation with the Affiliated
Tribes of Northwest Indians, takes you right to the present-day lands of
our region's native peoples.  You're shown the highlights of a visit to
each community or reservation, and hints are given as to which native
businesses you might be interested in supporting, from casinos to
clothiers to kitchens.  Not that history can be ignored in the context of
Indian life -- and pointers are provided for trips to ancient sites of
importance.  (I want to see the tool shed at Grand Ronde!)  This one was
published in '96 by Sasquatch Books of Seattle.

Have a fine evening, and visit a bookstore tomorrow!
Dave


 *VISIT the archives of the CHINOOK jargon and the SALISHAN & neighboring*
		    <=== languages lists, on the Web! ===>
	   http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/salishan.html
	   http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/chinook.html