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| "She Who Watches" petroglyph Columbia River Gorge Photo, Lewis and Clark Trail site |
A tour is in some ways one dimensional, while the actual relationships and experiences borne out of encounter are three dimensional. I acknowledge that I did not go very far in establishing relationships with the people behind some of these sites, or in confronting what is behind the images or stories as opposed to how they ended up being represented. These are subsequent steps for me as I undertake this journey. I will just leave with a few observations:
- Be curious. If you could do one thing, it would be to go to my place name post, below, and find a street or river around you with a Native American name, and begin to find out what and who is behind that name and how it connects to the place you are today.
- Native people are still here, and are still standing in their Native identity. As well, their experience, values and culture remain as a unique and challenging balance to the dominant way of thinking and way of understanding. It is so important to seek their voice, and to hear it.
- I was gratified to see that Native voices are apparently beginning to be sought for expression, such as in newer public art, and in consultation, such as in the naming of the Tilikum Crossing. I know from a friend at Grand Ronde, however, that it is often the tribes who find out about something like the bridge name, and it is they who reach out and say, "would you like to work with us?" It would be good if our public figures included their voices from the beginning; furthermore, if their voices were already represented among our leadership.
- Some of the "sentimental" representations of Native history, such as the statues in Washington Park, need to be placed in context. Their existence really begs the question, "what were you thinking?" (And I mean that in a neutral and open way. "Really--what were you thinking?") This a teaching moment. What would it look like if we were to ask Lillian Pitt to construct a statue in response to each one of those, and put it adjacent to it? What could we learn? We need this to learn not only about the Native perspective, but about how our own can evolve. What does how we capture "their story" say about our own history?
- The organizations that claim to be representing history have major adjustments to make in how they tell their stories. I would call out the Clackamas Historical sites as chief among these. If we went to a German historical museum that had an exhibit about "the history of Jews in Germany" showing all the artifacts they left behind and where they used to live, but had no mention of the holocaust, we would see it as a major disconnect. Similarly, representing the history of Native peoples merely as "they used to be here," followed by the history of settlement as if white people arrived to a blank canvas, is seriously misrepresenting the truth.
- I learned from my Native colleagues that they wish to be regarded as the host people of this land. In that respect, what incredibly bad guests we have been, and continue to be, and how gracious they always are as hosts when we take interest and show an open mind and heart to who they are. In nearly every encounter with settlers, the Native people were first gracious and welcoming. What can we learn about them, about the land, and about ourselves, when we begin to regard as ourselves as fortunate to be here, with them, in this land that has been their home for thousands and thousands of years?
I would love to see this tour traveled and told from the point of view of others, including Native members of our community. I will have limited time to continue to update it, so I am happy for others to build on and expand what I have done. Please let me know your own experience!!!
Peace.
