David Douglas, A Naturalist at Work: An Illustrated Exploration Across Two Centuries in the Pacific Northwest by Jack Nisbet

Abstract

 OHQ vol. 114, no. 2 effective at converting Native people. Thus the contemporary indigenous religious practice there contrasts sharply with what Hamill describes. In the Sahaptin areas of the Plateau, contemporary Waashat congregations are the central religious focus (see, for example, Helen H. Schuster,“Yakima Indian Traditionalism : Continuity and Change,” [Ph.D. diss., University of Washington, Seattle, 1975]; and Eugene S.Hunn,with James Selam and family, Nch’i-Wána “The Big River”: Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land [Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1990]). Hamill’s account of the role of “dreams” as a source of musical inspiration nevertheless does apply throughout theColumbiaPlateauandiscentraltoWaashat, or “Seven Drums,” worship. Eugene S. Hunn University of Washington, Seattle David Douglas, a Naturalist at Work: An Illustrated Exploration Across Two Centuries in the Pacific Northwest by Jack Nisbet Sasquatch Books, Seattle, 2012. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 208 pages. $27.95 cloth. David Douglas, a Naturalist at Work is a companion book to the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (Spokane) exhibit about Douglas’s Northwest travels (the exhibit runs through August 2013). The author, Jack Nisbet, is ideally suited to prepare such a volume: his admirable The Collector, David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest (2009), based on Douglas’snotesandjournals,describesindetail Douglas’scollectingintheNorthwestduringthe earlynineteenthcenturyandcapturestheexcitement European naturalists felt at seeing the impressive flora and fauna of the New World. The new book contains ten chapters of short essays on the areas Douglas explored, their geographic features,the flora and fauna he collected ,the Native peoples he encountered,and the scientific and institutional context in which he worked. The handsome and beautifully illustrated volume includes personal observations Nisbet makes about the places Douglas described.Nisbet visited locations and checked on the plant and animal species Douglas collected , and he writes in an engaging manner about the natural history of those experiences. Readers who want a more complete understanding of Douglas’s life and work should consult the earlier biography; but those who have some knowledge or interest in the natural history of the Northwest — and how the area came to the attention of the British — will find this volume charming. The chapters are short and filled with a wide range of illustrations, from photographs of nature to artifacts from Douglas’s day. Even for those who will not visit the exhibit in Spokane, the volume serves as both an attractive coffee table book and an accessible introduction to Douglas’s travels. Paul Farber Oregon State University Chinuk Wawa: As Our Elders Teach Us to Speak It by Chinuk Wawa Dictionary Project Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, 2012. Illustrations, bibliography. 494 pages. $29.95 cloth. Chinook Wawa (“Chinook Language” or “Chinook Jargon”) originated before European contact as a pidgin version of the Chinookan languages spoken by Native Americans of the lower Columbia River. Later, with the arrival of European and American explorers, traders, and settlers, Chinook Wawa creolized many French, English, and other European words. ...