major works of thecity's leading architects in the 1890s contain awealth ofhistorical and architec tural information thatcontribute to making this awork of lastingsignificance. Native Peoples of theOlympic Peninsula: Who We Are By theOlympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee, edited by Jacilee Wray University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2002. Illustrations, photographs, maps, bibliography, index. 209 pages. $29.95 cloth. Reviewed by Sandy Johnson Osawa Upstream Productions, Seattle,Washington, andMakah Tribe Dr o p By your localbookstore, and theneed for a book about and by the Native peoples of theOlympic Peninsula becomes pain fullyclear. The preface toNative Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula notes thatAmerican Indian students represent from 12 to 97 percent of the studentbodies in theOlympic Peninsula school districts, but school curricula teach very little about Indian issues.The nineWashington State tribes featured in this book ? theHoh, Sko komish, Squaxin Island, three S'Klallam (with one preferring to be called Klallam), Quinault, Quileute, and Makah ? deserve to be better known and understood in theNorthwest.With thataim in mind, theOlympic Peninsula Inter tribalCultural Advisory Committee decided to write a book. This isa rareattemptby tribal members from one region to telltheirown story. The book cau tions that this isnot a complete history of the nine tribes, however, but rather a general over view. It isdivided intonine chapters,each ofwhich featuresone tribeaddressing history,contempo raryconcerns, and touristopportunities.Historic andmodern photographs treatreaders to some unexpected treasures, such as Squaxin Island's page of student autographs from an 1887Che mawa yearbook or fourth-grade students'draw ingof an "upside-down person" illustratingan origin storyof theHoh Tribe. Each chapterwas approved by the respective tribalcouncil, and the writerswere appointed by theircouncils. This committee processmay have drained some of thepower from the most noble intentionsforthebook, however, as itisdifficult tofind a chapter that speaks dramatically to the wonder of these smallest of tribesand theirhe roic struggles to survive. At itsbest, thebook provides intimate and even humorous information, such as the story retoldby Beatrice Charles about how theElwha Kllalams came tobe known as the "strongpeo ple." They figured out how togetbig logsup to a longhouse site,moving the gathering tribes to shout "Klallam, Klallam," which means "strong people." At its worst, there is much too heavy a reliance on anthropologists' information, underming thepromised goal of having Indian people speak for themselves. For example, the Jamestown S'Klallam chapter quotes heavily fromErna G?nther and her studies on the tribe, and all of thehistories relyheavily on traditional sources, without much local adaptation and re vision. Not only do the usual suspects show up as authorityfigures,but some of the usual myths show up aswell. For example, the chapter on the Makahs notes that "in the late 1960s the school systembegan to include basketweaving, Makah language, carving instructionand storytelling in thecurriculum."This provides the mistaken im pression thatthe school system, which had been an instrument of acculturation for decades, sud denly andwillinglydecided to incorporatebasket 6o8 OHQ vol. 104, no. 4 weaving and topay attention to theunique cul ture around it.Actually, Lloyd Colfax, former professoratEvergreenCollege in Olympia, called the movement in the local schools towardmore Indian education nothing shortof a "revolution and somethinghe didn't expect to see inhis life time." TheMakah chapteralso repeats thecommon refrainthattheOzette archeological dig "has in spired a cultural renaissance forthe Makah." Al though the museum deserves theattention itre ceives, itis incorrectto implythat we, as a tribe, were just sittingaround waiting foramud slide so that we could discover our culture. Years be fore theOzette dig, the tribewas taking strong steps to revitalize Makah culture.The firstcon temporary Indian dancing and singing classes began on a tribalbasis in the summer of 1965 with funding obtained from theBureau of In dian Affairs summer youth employment pro gram. A flurry of cultural programs was gener ated, largely through the War on Poverty pro grams,which created significantchanges forall the tribes. Surprisingly, these programs, which enabled tribes tomake decisions for themselves forthefirsttime,are not evenmentioned in the book. For example, the Makahs operated thefirst IndianHead Startprogram in the state,and this program (not the local school) was thefirstone toutilizeMakah language and songs.At thesame time, the fishing boat program and the canoe program were being launched, and the Makahs were one of...
Read full abstract
Apr 7, 2023
Meghan Salas Atwell + 5
Open Access