Being Cowlitz: How One Tribe Renewed and Sustained Its Identity

How one Tri be
renewed & SuSTai ned
i TS i denTi Ty
Christine Dupres
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now oNc 1risc rcNcwcb tNb
sus1tiNcb i1s ibcN1i1v
Christine Dupres
uNi vcrsi 1v or
wtsni Nc1oN rrcss
ScaLLlc & Iondon
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© :o±¡ by Lhc UnivcrsiLy oí WashingLon Prcss
PrinLcd and bound in Lhc UniLcd SLaLcs oí Amcrica
Composcd in Chaparral, a Lypcíacc dcsigncd by Carol Twombly
Dcsign by DusLin Kilgorc
±, ±6 ±¸ ±¡ ¸ ¡ ¸ : ±
All righLs rcscrvcd. No parL oí Lhis publicaLion may bc rcproduccd or
LransmiLLcd in any íorm or by any mcans, clccLronic or mcchanical,
including phoLocopy, rccording, or any iníormaLion sLoragc or rcLricval
sysLcm, wiLhouL pcrmission in wriLing írom Lhc publishcr.
UnivcrsiLy oí WashingLon Prcss
www.washingLon.cdu/uwprcss
Iibrary oí Congrcss CaLaloging-in-PublicaLion DaLa
Duprcs, ChrisLinc 1oy.
Bcing CowliLz : how onc Lribc rcncwcd and susLaincd iLs idcnLiLy /
ChrisLinc 1oy Duprcs.
pagcs cm
ncludcs bibliographical rcícrcnccs and indcx.
issN µ,8-o-:µ¸-µµ¸µ6-6 (hardcovcr : acid-írcc papcr) ±. CowliLz Indian
Tribc, WashingLon—HisLory. :. CowliLz Indians—HisLory. ¸. CowliLz
Indians—FLhnic idcnLiLy. ¡. CowliLz Indians—Social liíc and cusLoms. ¸.
CowliLz Indians—Folklorc. I. TiLlc.
Fµµ.C8,,D8, :o±¡
µ,µ.,oo¡’µ,µ¡¸—dc:¸
:o±¡o:o:µ±
Tc papcr uscd in Lhis publicaLion is acid-írcc and mccLs Lhc minimum
rcquircmcnLs oí Amcrican NaLional SLandard íor IníormaLion Scicnccs
Pcrmancncc oí Papcr íor PrinLcd Iibrary MaLcrials, tNsi z¸µ.¡8–±µ8¡.∞
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coN1cN1s

Acknowledgments vii
. InLroducLion ¸
. CowliLz HisLory ±¡
. HisLorical Discoursc and Lhc Usc
oí Iandscapc: Ccnrcs oí ALLachmcnL ¸:
Image Gallery 
. Tc ImporLancc oí Icadcrs and Icgcnds 8±
. Tc ImporLancc oí Pcrsonal HisLory NarraLivc ±o,
. Tc ImporLancc oí Pcrsonal HisLory NarraLivc in
Shaping Oral HisLory and MyLh ±:¡
Bibliography 
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tcxNowicbcrcN1s
WiLh lovc Lo my íamily: Crcon, Shca, Chai, and Chclsca. You arc Lhc ccnLcr
oí my world.
WiLh graLiLudc Lo my íamily and íricnds, whosc cncouragcmcnL and
unflagging íaiLh havc sccn mc Lhrough Lhis projccL.
Iovc always Lo my moLhcr and grandmoLhcrs, íor Lhc prickly summcrs
spcnL in a bcrry paLch.
Spccial Lhanks Lo my cdiLor and íricnd, Michacl Ward. Tick and Lhin
and Lhrough iL all, Lhis book has sLrcngLhcncd our íricndship.
And finally, wiLh admiraLion Lo Lhc CowliLz Lribal pcoplc, and all among
Lhcm who darc hisLory. Wc rcmcmbcr Lhc CowliLz cldcrs passcd, and awaiL
Lhc childrcn Lo comc.
Always rcmcmbcr, always.
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cntr1cr ±
Introduction
cvcrvoNc nts t s1orv. 1nis s1orv is so1n riNc tNb 1nt1 or
oLhcrs: Lhc mcmbcrs oí my íamily and oí my Lribc, Lhc CowliLz. Tis is a
sLory abouL sLorics Loo, abouL how pcoplc usc sLorics Lo dcfinc íor Lhcm-
sclvcs who Lhcy arc. Tis sLory is parLially minc, parLially Lhcirs.
Tis book bcgan as a hunL íor sLorics, a pcrsonal journcy Lo discovcr Lhc
losL songs and hisLorics oí my Indian anccsLors—my aunLs and grandmoLh-
crs oí Lhc CowliLz Tribc. Along Lhc way, I rcalizcd LhaL Lhcsc sLorics wcrc
noL jusL my aunLs’ and grandmoLhcrs’ sLorics, buL Lhc sLorics oí Lhc CowliLz
Indians Lhcmsclvcs. In uncovcring Lhcsc sLorics, I was finding Lhc idcnLiLy
oí a Lribc LhaL had bccn scaLLcrcd across various sLaLcs, a Lribc wiLhouL a
land, a Lribc whosc scnsc oí idcnLiLy was in consLanL dangcr oí dissolving
inLo Lhc blankncss oí unrccordcd hisLory. Tis scarch Look mc Lo various
rcscrvaLions in WashingLon SLaLc, Lo mossy ccmcLcrics amid Lhc norLhwcsL
pinc, and Lo Lhc living room oí a dying linguisL in Canada. Tis qucsL madc
mc a ícw vcry good íricnds among Lhc CowliLz, iL goL mc, by an odd LwisL
oí íaLc, an adminisLraLivc job and an clccLion Lo Lribal council. Tc scarch
had mc wandcring Lo muscums and íalling in lovc wiLh my grandmoLhcrs. I
ícll in lovc wiLh my own pasL as wcll. Tc hunL íor Lhcsc sLorics also LaughL
mc how Lo crcaLc somc disLancc írom Lhc romancc oí my NaLivc hcriLagc, a
disLancc ncccssary Lo íully undcrsLand Lhc answcrs Lo Lhc qucsLions I was
asking. UlLimaLcly, Lhc cxploraLion oí Lhcsc CowliLz sLorics broughL mc Lo a
dccpcr undcrsLanding oí whaL Lhc inhcriLancc oí Lhis hisLory rcally mcans.
I always had qucsLions abouL whcrc I camc írom, buL Lhcy bccamc morc
urgcnL in Lhc carly ±µµos whcn I, Lhcn a young mom oí Lwins and a ncw
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¡ iN1robuc1ioN
graduaLc sLudcnL aL Lhc UnivcrsiLy oí Orcgon, bcgan sLudying cighLccnLh-
ccnLury Fnglish liLcraLurc and LwcnLicLh-ccnLury ícminisL LhcaLcr. Tis is
whcn Lhc journcy rcally bcgan íor mc. Tis is whcrc I sLarL my sLory. In ±µµ¡,
carly inLo my graduaLc sLudics, I bcíricndcd Andy, a SilcLz Indian man. Hc
sccmcd Lo havc a handlc on bcing Indian, dcspiLc (or pcrhaps bccausc oí)
his flaxcn hair and icc-bluc cycs. Hc was connccLcd—pcrsonally, socially,
and poliLically (as a íormal mcmbcr)—Lo Lhc SilcLz Tribc. Tis íoundaLional
idcnLiLy was íor Andy a launching poinL íor much LhaL hc accomplishcd
(and íor many whom hc alicnaLcd) during his graduaLc Lcnurc. Andy Lalkcd
Lhc Lalk and was willing Lo sLand on principlc whcn hc íclL LhaL acadcmic
pracLiccs and policy aL Lhc univcrsiLy wcrc racisL. Hc also walkcd Lhc walk,
cnsuring LhaL hc kcpL up NaLivc pracLiccs and ccrcmony.
In conLrasL, I íclL LhaL I was prcLLy bad aL bcing an Indian. I kncw LhaL
I had NaLivc blood. I had always bccn Lold LhaL I was Indian (CowliLz and
Crcc), and my Crandma livcd on Lhc SilcLz RcscrvaLion ncar my homcLown
oí NcwporL, Orcgon. SLill, my moLhcr had noL Lakcn Lhc Limc Lo dcmon-
sLraLc whaL “bcing an Indian” mcanL, Lhough laLcr I would comc Lo undcr-
sLand how shc livcd. Tis knowlcdgc would hclp mc undcrsLand whaL iL
mcans Lo livc as a NaLivc woman, rcalizing how dccply NaLivc culLurc was
cmbcddcd in us boLh. My moLhcr was noL acLivc in Lhc poliLical rcalm oí Lhc
CowliLz Tribc. Shc scldom Look mc Lo CowliLz Ccncral Council mccLings (as
hcr moLhcr had Lakcn hcr). AlLhough my grandmoLhcr had madc surc LhaL
hcr childrcn wcrc cnrollcd in Lhc CowliLz Tribc, my moLhcr had noL cnrollcd
my sibling and mc. In my carly LwcnLics, I Look iL upon mysclí Lo call Lhc
Lribal officc íor papcrwork and complcLcd my gcncalogy and applicaLion íor
mcmbcrship. I applicd Lo bc a ciLizcn oí Lhc CowliLz Tribc in ±µ8µ and my
acccpLancc camc in ±µµo.
IL was in Lhis conLcxL LhaL Andy and I had a long Lalk onc day. I conícsscd
Lo him how Limid and awkward I íclL abouL “bcing” a CowliLz/Crcc woman. I
wondcrcd aloud how I could know, dcfiniLivcly, LhaL I was a NaLivc pcrson.
“Wcll, whaL is iL íor you`” hc askcd mc. “Why arc you drawn Lo your Lribc and
pcoplc`” I answcrcd, simply, “I íccl pullcd Lo rcmcmbcr.” WiLh LhaL Andy
smilcd. Ií I was drawn Lo figurc ouL my placc among a pcoplc and íclL a pull
Lo rcmcmbcr, hc said, Lhcn I was dcfiniLcly an Indian. Oí sorLs. IL was Lhis
“oí sorLs” LhaL madc mc sLarL looking inLo my hcriLagc.
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iN1robuc1ioN ¸
Tis is whaL I íound: In ±8¡± my Crcc anccsLors camc Lo Lhc CowliLz
Prairic in Lhc WashingLon TcrriLory. Tcy wcrc voyagcurs, íur LransporLcrs,
in Lhc cmploy oí Lhc Hudson’s Bay Company, and Lravclcd Lo Lhc prairic
írom Lhc Rcd Rivcr arca oí ManiLoba, Canada, down inLo Lhc WashingLon
TcrriLory Lo scck Lradc and work. Tcy quickly scLLlcd in and inLcrmarricd
wiLh Lhc CowliLz pcoplc. Onc oí Lhcsc was my CowliLz anccsLor Iucy SklouL-
wouL, or Hakirc. Tc CowliLz pcoplc acccpLcd Lhc Crcc voyagcurs as kin. My
grcaL grandmoLhcr, Rosc, spokc Frcnch Crcc and was ablc Lo spcak Iowcr
CowliLz. Frcnch Crcc was hcr firsL languagc, Lhc only languagc hcr íaLhcr
spokc. Tus my íamily—likc so many NaLivc íamilics—was a mix oí Lribcs,
jusL as Lhis book cxplorcs a mix oí hisLorics, my own CowliLz anccsLry and
Lhc hisLory oí Lhc CowliLz Tribc iLsclí. BoLh hisLorics arc closcly cnLwincd.
My inLcllccLual journcy Lhus bcgan wiLh a pcrsonal onc, wiLh Lhc nccd Lo
figurc ouL íor mysclí, íor my mom, and íor my grandmoLhcrs whaL iL mcanL
Lo bc CowliLz and Crcc, and how wc all bclongcd.
Bccausc Lhc CowliLz Tribc íor ycars had no land basc or rcscrvaLion,
iLs pcoplc arc scaLLcrcd ovcr souLhwcsLcrn WashingLon and oLhcr arcas oí
Lhc UniLcd SLaLcs. Tc CowliLz Ccncral Council—hcld Lwicc annually—pro-
vidcs an imporLanL vcnuc íor gaLhcring and communicaLion. I sLarLcd go-
ing rcgularly Lo Lhcsc mccLings, whcrc I bccamc inLcrcsLcd in maLLcrs oí
voicc and auLhoriLy. I sLarLcd paying aLLcnLion Lo whosc voicc was hcard,
whosc sLory was ulLimaLcly bcing Lold, and how Lhcsc sLorics—and Lhcsc
sLoryLcllcrs—shapcd, íor mc and íor Lhc oLhcrs prcscnL aL Council mccL-
ings, boLh pcrsonal and Lribal idcnLiLy. IL was Lhcn LhaL I madc a discovcry
oí a diffcrcnL kind: I kncw whaL Lhc íocus oí my graduaLc work would bc. I
would wriLc a disscrLaLion analyzing how Lhc CowliLz lcadcrs arLiculaLc and
undcrsLand Lhcmsclvcs and Lhcir hisLory, and how Lhrough Lhcir auLhoriLy,
Lhcsc Lribal lcadcrs bring Lhis undcrsLanding oí Lhcmsclvcs as a pcoplc Lo
Lhc CowliLz group as a wholc. I Look noLcs, waLching how Lhc lcadcrs uscd
diffcrcnL rhcLorical sLraLcgics Lo dcmonsLraLc Lribal prioriLics. I wondcrcd
whaL Lhcsc sLraLcgics Lcll us abouL group making and idcnLiLy, cspccially
whcn Lhc group iLsclí is undcr a quicL buL consLanL LhrcaL oí dissoluLion.
Tc CowliLz pcoplc havc cndurcd and (conLinuc Lo) surmounL Lhc íorccs
oí crasurc LhaL is common Lo all Lhc Lribcs in Lhc UniLcd SLaLcs: íaLal dis-
casc, rcmoval írom Lhcir land duc Lo prcssurc Lo movc or scll Lhrough cco-
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6 iN1robuc1ioN
nomic ncccssiLy, and culLural loss crcaLcd as a rcsulL oí coopcraLion wiLh Lhc
dominanL culLurc, which was oíLcn racisL in policy ií noL dcporLmcnL. Civcn
Lhcsc prcssurcs, onc way Lhc CowliLz could arLiculaLc and mainLain Lhcir
idcnLiLy was by dcfining Lhcmsclvcs as diffcrcnL írom Lhc prcvailing (whiLc)
culLurc. Tcy did Lhis, in parL, by mainLaining an aLLachmcnL Lo Lhcir land
and Lhrough a rcliancc on Lhcir lcadcrship—a lcadcrship LhaL has cngagcd
Lhc ícdcral govcrnmcnL aL cvcry criLical Lurn and LhaL has carcíully markcd
and rchcarscd CowliLz collccLivc mcmory.
Tis aLLcmpL aL aLLachmcnL Lo Lhc land is cspccially imporLanL íor Lhc
CowliLz Tribc, who, Lhough iL has Lribal siLcs in Iongvicw and Tolcdo, boLh
in WashingLon SLaLc, as ycL has no íormal land basc or rcscrvaLion. Tc
pcoplc, Lhough conccnLraLcd in souLhwcsLcrn WashingLon, arc scaLLcrcd
ovcr oLhcr arcas in Lhc UniLcd SLaLcs. Bccausc oí Lhis lack oí ccnLraliLy, Lhc
CowliLz Ccncral Council holds imporLanL opporLuniLics íor gaLhcring and
communicaLion. I havc bccn aLLcnding Lhcsc mccLings sincc ±µµ¸. Tc firsL I
aLLcndcd wcrc cmoLionally ovcrwhclming íor mc. Tcrc I saL, among almosL
Lwo hundrcd CowliLz pcoplc, many oí whom rcscmblcd mc, righL down Lo
Lhc round and Lca-colorcd cycs. I hcard Lhc council chairman, 1ohn BarncLL,
spcak oí Lhc Lrials oí his pcoplc, my pcoplc, and how Lhcy prcvailcd. I saw
hisLory alivc, on LhaL modcsL sLagc. I saw Lhc old oncs siL quicLly. I saw ccr-
cmony and hcard voiccs raiscd in common.
As a graduaLc sLudcnL, I was inclincd Lo Lurn firsL Lo books íor whaL I
nccdcd, buL books can only do so much. QuicL myLhs upon a pagc cannoL
livc in Lhc way LhaL a myLh spokcn in conLcxL can. I lisLcncd carcíully Lo spir-
iLual cldcr Roy Wilson as hc Lold sLorics oí CoyoLc, oí Lhc Dccr SisLcrs, and
oí oLhcr myLhical figurcs. A young woman boLh curious and imprcssionablc,
I lisLcncd Lo Lhc lcadcrs Lalk and waLchcd Lhc long pancl oí Lribal council
mcmbcrs who saL bcíorc mc. InLcllccLually, I undcrsLood Lhc complicaLions
oí my posiLion as a woman oí Furopcan and NaLivc Amcrican dcsccnL. I
undcrsLood Lhc complcxiLics oí racial and cLhnic idcnLiLy. I undcrsLood Lhc
implicaLions oí claiming spacc and placc as onc’s own. I undcrsLood, ycL
as I saL aL Lhc CowliLz Ccncral Council I íclL complcLcly, LoLally aL homc.
WaLching Chairman BarncLL and Roy Wilson lcad Lhc procccdings, I bccamc
capLivaLcd by Lhcir arLiculaLions oí NaLivc idcnLiLy LhaL cxisLcd alongsidc
Lhc morc íormal arLiculaLions oí NaLivc idcnLiLy sLcmming írom anLhropo-
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iN1robuc1ioN ,
logical rcscarch, lcgal cngagcmcnL, and acadcmic scholarship. TroughouL
Lhc mid-±µµos, I bccamc morc and morc involvcd in my rclaLionship wiLh
and my rcscarch oí Lhc CowliLz Tribc. I uscd all mcans aL my disposal: I
conducLcd inLcrvicws wiLh cldcrs, whosc yicld was mysLcrious Lo mc, I rcad
ouLdaLcd copics oí Lhc CowliLz Yooyoolah ncwslcLLcrs and old ncws clippings
írom dcíuncL papcrs, I Lrackcd down rccords írom ccmcLcrics and oLhcr
daLa glcancd írom archivcs. By aLLcnding mccLings and Laking noLcs on my
obscrvaLions oí Lhc Lribal lcadcrs whosc command and confidcncc inspircd
mc, I was íorming and sLrcngLhcning my NaLivc idcnLiLy. I was pcríorming
a pcrsonal rcpaLriaLion.
Tis projccL oí discovcry bcgan noL so much wiLh a conccrn íor culLural
rcnaissancc as wiLh my nccd Lo hcar Lhc sLorics oí Lhc cldcrs and Lhc my-
Lhology oí Lhc Lribc. WhaL, I wondcrcd, was our inhcriLancc` WhaL did
wc Lcll cach oLhcr` And why` Tcsc qucsLions rcfincd Lhcmsclvcs as I im-
mcrscd mysclí dccpcr inLo Lhc cLhnological scholarship oí Lhc Lribcs oí Lhc
Pacific NorLhwcsL and Lhcir Lribal poliLics. I lisLcncd Lo CowliLz lcadcrs, and
Lhrough Lhcir guidancc and sharcd knowlcdgc, I bcgan Lo makc scnsc oí
Lhc poliLical sLrugglc LhaL lay aL Lhc hcarL oí CowliLz hisLory and idcnLiLy.
I bcgan Lo qucsLion Lhc way in which CowliLz Lribal pcoplc, cspccially Lhc
Lribal lcadcrs, undcrsLood Lhcmsclvcs as cnduring: cnduring againsL Lhc
consLrainLs oí Lhc govcrnmcnL, againsL Lhc passing oí Limc, againsL crosion,
againsL all odds, sincc “Limc immcmorial,” as onc Lribal mcmbcr puL iL. My
íocus cvcnLually narrowcd Lo Lhc conLcmporary rcsponsc Lo Lhc hisLorical
prcssurcs crcaLcd by Lhc CowliLz pcoplc’s rclaLionship Lo Lhcir own hisLory.
Tis hisLory occurrcd in rclaLionship Lo Lhc ícdcral govcrnmcnL (Lhrough
coopcraLion wiLh iLs mandaLcs and proccsscs) as wcll as in oLhcr, morc som-
bcr placcs: as a íragmcnLary mcmory oí an cldcr’s sLory or a lasL SahapLin
word whispcrcd. WhaL, I would ask Lhc lcadcrs rcpcaLcdly, did Lhc lcadcrs
sccm Lo know LhaL LaughL Lhcm whaL iL mcanL Lo bc CowliLz` Was iL Lhc
sLorics lcarncd aL Lhc knccs oí cldcrs somc scvcnLy ycars ago aL council
mccLings, or was iL Lhc cducaLion gaincd by Lravcling Lo WashingLon, D.C.,
Lo dcal wiLh Lhc U.S. Congrcss and sclccL poliLical commiLLccs` Was iL abouL
Lhc Limcs spcnL in Lhc woods or aL Lhc mcdicinc whccl, or Lhc Limc spcnL
pacing bcíorc a scnaLor’s closcd door` Was idcnLiLy characLcrizcd by a pil-
grimagc Lo Lhc Yakama RcscrvaLion Lo scc rclaLivcs, or an clccLion Lo Lribal
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govcrnmcnL` I wondcrcd how oLhcrs in Lhc Lribc camc Lo a Lribal idcnLiLy,
a Lribal lincagc, such as minc. Whcrc, I wondcrcd, did Lhcy gcL Lhcsc un-
dcrsLandings` WhaL did Lhcy know abouL Lhcir anccsLors, boLh whiLc and
Indian` Why did somc individuals—whcn mulLiracial and mulLiculLural likc
mc—choosc Lo idcnLiíy wiLh Lhcir NaLivc hcriLagc raLhcr Lhan Lhcir oLhcr
onc (or oncs)` Was Lhis idcnLificaLion cxclusivc or morc gcncralizcd` Did
Lhcy also wanL Lo know abouL Lhcir Ccrman grandíaLhcr, íor cxamplc`
As I lcarncd morc abouL Lhc CowliLz Tribc, I bcgan Lo filLcr my own cxpc-
ricncc Lhrough Lhis ncw iníormaLion, and I discovcrcd LhaL whaL I had bccn
raiscd Lo do by my moLhcr and grandmoLhcrs sccmcd Lo bc rooLcd in Lhcir
lcarncd cxpcricncc—an cxpcricncc sharcd wiLh oLhcr CowliLz and Crcc pco-
plc, consisLing oí culLural pracLiccs LransmiLLcd iníormally ovcr Limc. Tcrc
was ccrLainly a casc Lo makc íor NaLivc idcnLiLy cxisLing in Lhc moLions oí
my liíc, íor my many summcrs spcnL in Lhc Cascadc MounLains picking bcr-
rics or digging clams and harvcsLing musscls by Lhc Pacific Occan. Tough
my working-class parcnLs livcd quiLc comíorLably, our Lrips Lo Lhc groccry
sLorc wcrc only slighLly morc common Lhan our íorcsL Lrips LhaL yicldcd a
harvcsL oí vcnison and bcrrics or our caLch oí shcllfish and salmon írom Lhc
sca. I was cagcr Lo claim Lhc moLions oí my cvcryday liíc as NaLivc. Tc way
I was raiscd was inhcrcnLly Lhc way oí an indigcnous pcoplc who livcd by
Lhc scasons and land’s bounLy: digging, clamming, picking scasonal bcrrics,
fishing and hunLing, and, as my moLhcr always said, “puLLing Lhings by.”
In ±µµ8, I bcgan my rcscarch on Lhc CowliLz Tribc in carncsL. I kccp closc
conLacL wiLh a numbcr oí pcoplc írom Lhc Lribc, many oí whom arc íricnds
or íamily and somc oí whom I inLcrvicwcd íor my disscrLaLion. Trough
cmail, phonc, íormal rccordcd inLcrvicws, obscrvaLion, and numcrous con-
vcrsaLions, I conducLcd ficldwork wiLh sixLccn mcmbcrs oí Lhc Lribc. Tcsc
individuals rangcd in agc írom Lhcir carly LwcnLics Lo carly cighLics and all
livcd in WashingLon SLaLc, írom Lhc PugcL Sound arca down Lo Vancou-
vcr, WashingLon, ncar Lhc Columbia Rivcr. Whilc cvcryonc I inLcrvicwcd
inspircd mc and hclpcd shapc my cxpcricncc and knowlcdgc oí CowliLz
culLurc, I cvcnLually chosc Lo íocus my analysis primarily on 1ohn BarncLL
and Roy Wilson, Lwo promincnL CowliLz lcadcrs. Tc cmphasis íurLhcr
narrowcd Lo Lhcir rhcLorical and lcadcrship sLylcs wiLhin Lhc kcy vcnuc oí
CowliLz Ccncral Council mccLings, whcrc a good dcal oí cxplicaLion rcgard-
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ing whaL iL mcans Lo bc a CowliLz could bc garncrcd Lhrough Lhcir narraLivcs
and pcríormanccs. In Lhis book I sharc Lhc insighLs gaincd írom lisLcning
and Lalking Lo Lhcsc Lwo mcn. I sLill Lhink LhaL Lhc bcsL way Lo undcrsLand
whaL makcs a Lribc a Lribc is by sLudying Lhc sLorics iLs pcoplc Lcll. Tcsc
Lwo mcn Lcll somc oí Lhc bcsL sLorics.
±
CowliLz chairman 1ohn BarncLL and spiriLual cldcr Roy Wilson havc
scrvcd poliLically íor Lhc Lribc íor many ycars and arc promincnL, vocal mcn.
In íormal inLcrvicws ovcr a numbcr oí ycars, I arrangcd my qucsLions Lo
cliciL pcrsonal hisLorics. I lookcd closcly aL whaL 1ohn BarncLL, Roy Wilson,
and oLhcr inLcrvicwccs chosc Lo Lcll mc, noLicing cspccially LhaL whaL Lhcy
had Lo say was oíLcn lcss pcrsonal Lhan collccLivc and hisLorical. I was sLruck
by parLicular narraLivc and rhcLorical sLraLcgics LhaL cmcrgcd in convcrsa-
Lions wiLh cach lcadcr. Fxamplcs includc 1ohn’s mcnLion oí Lhc TrcaLy oí
Olympia or United States v. Mitchell et al., a U.S. Suprcmc CourL casc hc was
involvcd in as an alloLLcc, and his usc oí humor and írcqucnL rcícrcncc Lo
Lhc naLural world as a mcLaphor íor Lhc CowliLz pcoplc’s pcrsisLcncc and
prcdicamcnL. I noLiccd Roy’s cmphasis on spiriLual rcncwal Lhrough dcm-
onsLraLion oí McLhodisL and pan-Indian rcligious pracLicc as wcll as his
passion Lo Lcll ancw Lhc sLorics and myLhs hc had hcard and rcad abouL
Lhc CowliLz pcoplc. Roy’s pcrsonal cxpcricncc narraLivcs incviLably rcícrrcd
back Lo hisLorical and social proccsscs wiLhin Lhc CowliLz Tribc. I askcd cach
man whaL iL was hc wanLcd Lhc CowliLz pcoplc Lo rcmcmbcr. NciLhcr man
Look Loo much Limc Lo Lalk abouL his pcrsonal achicvcmcnLs, dcscribing
insLcad Lhc CowliLz pcoplc’s cndurancc, succcss, and survival againsL all
odds. I bccamc parLicularly inLcrcsLcd in conLcmporary CowliLz crcaLivc and
acsLhcLic liíc and how iL rclaLcs Lo Lribal idcnLiLy and culLural conLinuiLy.
AnoLhcr rcason I íocuscd on Lhcsc oral narraLivcs, asidc írom Lhcir in-
Lrinsic valuc as cxamplcs oí idcnLiLy crcaLion and Lhc moLivcs bchind iL, was
LhaL I could noL rcly on primary sourcc maLcrial alonc Lo crcaLc a hisLory oí
Lhc Lribc. Much oí Lhc maLcrial on Lhc CowliLz Indians is scaLLcrcd, incom-
plcLc, or difficulL Lo summarizc. Onlinc and in rcposiLorics aL Lhc CaLholic
Archdioccsc in ScaLLlc arc CaLholic Church rccords and ccmcLcry rccords
íor siLcs around Lhc CowliLz Tribc’s usual and accusLomcd LcrriLory. Tcrc
arc also rcposiLorics oí CowliLz maLcrials and iníormaLion in local hisLorical
socicLics (in WashingLon SLaLc’s Icwis and CowliLz CounLics, íor cxamplc).
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Iocal ncwspapcrs in such WashingLon ciLics as Iongvicw, Chchalis, and
CcnLralia havc long occupicd Lhcmsclvcs wiLh CowliLz busincss buL in no
sysLcmaLic way. Fvcn írom ±µ±±, public commcnLary sccmcd Lo bc amuscd
by Lhc poliLical aLLcmpLs oí Lhc CowliLz pcoplc.
Morc rcccnLly, in-dcpLh iníormaLion abouL Lhc CowliLz in prinL íorm
is difficulL Lo find wiLh Lhc cxccpLion oí a plcniLudc oí “gray liLcraLurc”—
archival documcnLs írom govcrnmcnLal pcrsonncl (and corrcspondcncc
filcs oí such pcrsonncl) and such lay pcrsons as carly pionccrs, cxplorcrs,
and missionarics. Tc liLcraLurc is callcd “gray” bccausc iL is difficulL Lo ac-
quirc Lhrough LradiLional channcls. Tis maLcrial is Lricky Lo usc, howcvcr,
bccausc oíLcn, cspccially in carly scLLlcmcnL accounLs, iL íuncLioncd as a
rciníorccmcnL oí Lhc colonial agcnda or as anLi-Indian scnLimcnL. Tis ma-
Lcrial Lhus Lcnds Lo rcvcal morc abouL Lhc biascs oí iLs auLhors Lhan abouL
Lhc Indians Lhcmsclvcs, carly pionccr rcminisccnccs, in íashion LhroughouL
Lhc laLc-nincLccnLh and carly-LwcnLicLh ccnLurics, providcd insighL inLo
Lhc sorLs oí romanLicizaLion and chauvinism CowliLz and oLhcr Indians cn-
durcd aL Lhc hands oí scLLlcrs. So-callcd gray liLcraLurc could bc iníormaLivc
and mighL wcll documcnL hisLorical íacL in LhaL iL Lracks spccific vcrifiablc
insLanccs in Limc, ycL iL offcrs liLLlc rcgarding CowliLz prioriLics íor naming
and bclonging. InsLcad, iL imposcd cxLcrnal, non-NaLivc mcans íor comprc-
hcnding Lhc CowliLz pcoplc.
DcspiLc Lhc problcms oí primary documcnLaLion on Lhc subjccL, I havc
uscd ccrLain conccpLual mcLhods oí íolklorc as a solid ground íor Lhc con-
sidcraLion oí somc imporLanL qucsLions. Folklorc—cspccially íolklorc
LhaL íocuscs on pcríormancc—has sincc Lhc mid-±µ6os givcn us dcLailcd,
wcll-Lhcorizcd accounLs oí NaLivc Amcrican pcríormancc and narraLivc.
FolklorisLs havc comc Lo rcalizc LhaL conccpLs oí “group” and “bclonging,”
cspccially as Lhcy arc sharcd Lhrough pcríormancc, havc significanL íorcc
in kccping pcoplc LogcLhcr dcspiLc Lhcir diffcrcnccs. For Lhc CowliLz Lhc
mosL imporLanL conccpLs LhaL hclp solidiíy Lhcir Lribal idcnLiLy arc Lhosc oí
land, corporaLc angcr (angcr oí Lhc pcoplc, Lhc corpus), group pcrsisLcncc
againsL all odds, and íamilial survival. In Lhc CowliLz communiLy, alLhough
Lhc mcaning and íuncLion oí Lhcsc criLical conccpLs changcs írom mcmbcr
Lo mcmbcr, Lhcy rcmain a common Lhcmc among Lhc majoriLy oí pcoplc I
inLcrvicwcd, írom boLh gcncral Lribal mcmbcrship as wcll as Lribal lcadcr-
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ship. Many CowliLz pcoplc Lakc pridc in Lhcir survival as a pcoplc, claiming
LhaL Lhc Lribc will ovcrcomc govcrnmcnLal obsLaclcs Lhrough Lhcir sLub-
bornncss and pcrscvcrancc.
AnoLhcr common commcnL among Lhosc inLcrvicwcd was LhaL Lhcy
íccl mosL aLLachcd Lo Lhcir CowliLz anccsLry whcn surroundcd by naLurc.
Said Lribal council mcmbcr Robin Torncr (:oo¸, :): “Whcn I am ouL in Lhc
íorcsLs alonc, iL’s jusL mc and Lhc woods as Lhcy wcrc bcíorc Lhc scLLlcrs
Lurncd hunLing—a noblc, ncccssary íuncLion oí liíc—inLo a pcrvcrLcd
blood sporL.” I cvcn íound such noLions in my own íamily: íor insLancc, my
moLhcr will always bring up Lhc imporLancc oí hcr CowliLz anccsLry Lo makc
a poinL abouL filial picLy in Lhc modcrn day. Ií I was bcing lazy, I would surcly
hcar somcLhing likc: “Our [CowliLz] grandmoLhcr was a Lough old Indian
who workcd cvcry day oí hcr liíc.” Or, in rcgard Lo my sibling, shc mighL say:
“Your broLhcr and you sharc Lhc samc blood. You should ncvcr quarrcl.” Or,
oí hcr CowliLz anccsLry, shc mighL Lcll mc: “Tcy havc ncvcr sLoppcd [in
Lhcir cfforLs aL rccogniLion], noL sincc I can rcmcmbcr” (1amLgaard :oo¸).
AlLhough íolklorc is Lhc LhcorcLical lcns I usc Lhc mosL LhroughouL Lhis
analysis, I also soughL ouL rcccnL sLudics by scholars Alcxandra Harmon
(:oo8 and ±µµ8), 1on Dachnkc (:o±¸ and :o±o), and oLhcrs who wriLc abouL
Lhc dynamics oí culLural idcnLiLy among NaLivc Amcricans oí Lhc Pacific
NorLhwcsL. Harmon and Dachnkc’s work is parLicularly uscíul bccausc
Lhcir scholarship ovcrlaps cLhnogcographically and chronologically wiLh
my own. Wc havc a sharcd inLcrcsL in Lhc conLcsLcd and dynamic mcan-
ings oí NaLivc idcnLiLy, oraliLy, and pcríormancc, as wcll as Lhc symbolic
uscs and conLcsLcd mcanings oí siLcs oí hisLory. Tcsc scholars and I also
sharc an inLcrcsL in how mcmory íuncLions in a group and how iL can bc
hcld in common and in placc (Dachnkc :o±¸, ¸µ). Harmon’s LrcaLmcnL oí
Lhc Isaac SLcvcns LrcaLics oí ±8¸¸, as sccn in Broken Promises (±µµ8) and
Indians in the Making (:oo8), is a casc in poinL. In Broken Promises, Harmon
(:oo8, µ) makcs a compclling argumcnL LhaL Lhc SLcvcns LrcaLics and Lhcir
cffccLs wcrc so uniíorm and so widc-rcaching LhaL whcn asscssing Lhcir
impacL, wc should “considcr Lhc documcnL and iLs . . . cffccLs in common.”
Dachnkc works wiLh Lhc Chinook, whosc hisLory and rclaLionship Lo Lhc
ícdcral govcrnmcnL parallcls LhaL oí Lhc CowliLz. Tc Chinook rcccivcd
ícdcral rccogniLion by Lhc ClinLon adminisLraLion on 1anuary ¸, :oo±, buL
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Lhc Bush adminisLraLion rcmovcd iL on 1uly ¸, :oo:, bccausc oí objccLions
madc by Lhc QuinaulL. Tc Chinook and Lhc CowliLz havc sharcd Lhc samc
LcrriLory and havc inLcrmarricd íor ccnLurics, ycL in modcrn Limcs, as Dac-
hnkc (:o±¸, ¡¸) wriLcs in his arLiclc abouL Lhc building oí Lhc CaLhlapoLlc
Ionghousc, Lhcy havc occasionally bccn aL odds ovcr siLcs oí hcriLagc and
how Lhosc siLcs arc inLcrprcLcd.
Harmon and Dachnkc sharc my bclicí LhaL a sharcd sysLcm oí con-
sLrucLing rclaLionships wiLh ouLsidcrs (such as is rcquircd by Lhc CowliLz
lcadcrs) rcquircs a kccn considcraLion oí powcr rclaLions. Such a rclaLion-
ship is íar morc complcx Lhan official hisLorics havc lcd us Lo bclicvc. Tcrc
has bccn vcry liLLlc wriLLcn abouL Lhc CowliLz, and csscnLially noLhing
wriLLcn oí Lhcir pcríormancc oí myLh, biography, lcgcnd, and landscapc
(“landscapc” rcícrs Lo a kind oí pcríormancc cliciLcd Lhrough usc oí Lhcsc
oLhcr Lhrcc mcLhods). I hopc Lo (aL lcasL parLially) fill Lhc gap crcaLcd by
Lhis pauciLy oí invcsLigaLion inLo CowliLz mcLhods oí idcnLiLy crcaLion. As
a CowliLz woman mysclí, my prcscncc is a kcy parL oí my mcLhodology and
invcsLigaLion.
My pcrsonal undcrsLanding oí Lhc CowliLz pcoplc and Lhcir various
pcríormanccs, and my mcans oí conducLing and inLcrprcLing Lhc iníorma-
Lion collccLcd, boLh iníorm and complicaLc my obscrvaLions in ways LhaL
nonLribal mcmbcrs would noL cxpcricncc. I am noL uniquc in my siLuaLion
as a youngcr CowliLz woman looking Lo idcnLiíy and makc mcaning wiLhin
Lhc CowliLz wholc, ycL as a rcscarchcr and wriLcr, I am quiLc uniquc in my
sLaLus wiLhin Lhc Lribc. I am boLh insidc iL, looking aL mysclí, and ouLsidc
iL, looking aL Lhcm. Oí coursc, insidcrs arc ouLsidcrs aL various Limcs Loo,
so pcrhaps my sLaLus is noL as diffcrcnL as I mighL Lhink. I may occupy Lhc
Lablc as a CowliLz Council mcmbcr, hcncc alicnaLing a Lribal íricnd who docs
noL LrusL Lribal poliLics or poliLicians, I may bc sccn as an upsLarL by Lhosc
who havc hcld Lribal posiLions, mcmbcrship, or officc longcr Lhan I havc.
I may bc disLanccd írom cldcrs by Lhc diffcrcncc in our agc, cxpcricncc, or
oLhcr circumsLanccs. I may likcwisc bc disLanccd írom Lhosc who arc dií-
ícrcnLly cducaLcd.
As a íolklorisL and cLhnographcr, I havc ccrLain mcans Lo considcr Lhc
rhcLorical pracLiccs oí Lhc Lribal council, buL Lhcn again my “disLancc” írom
Lhc Lribal council, and by cxLcnsion my imparLialiLy, is arguablc givcn LhaL
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I am also a mcmbcr oí Lribal poliLics. AL any givcn Limc, I am nciLhcr wiLhin
Lhc Lribal communiLy nor wiLhouL iL, ncvcr solidly imparLial in my privilcgc
as a Lribal obscrvcr. Tc modcl I csLablish hcrc mighL wcll subjccL mc Lo all
Lhc problcms and criLical analyscs oí Lhc Lhing I scL ouL Lo analyzc. In Lhc
inLcrcsL oí clariLy, boLh acadcmic and pcrsonal, my “agcnda” as iL wcrc musL
bc madc apparcnL Lo Lhc rcadcr. How docs my cxpcricncc, Lhc cxpcricncc
oí Lhc individual, spcak Lo Lhc cxpcricncc oí Lhc group as a wholc` Arc Lhc
prioriLics I scL íorLh hcrc morc urgcnL, morc prcssing, morc rcflccLivc oí
Lhc CowliLz as a wholc Lhan oLhcr prioriLics` Docs Lhis lcnd hcíL and insighL
Lo my argumcnL, or makc iL suspccL` As iL is clcar LhaL I am noL a dcLachcd
obscrvcr, I aL Limcs havc wriLLcn mysclí inLo Lhis LcxL. I wanL a way Lo cx-
plain how Lhcrc is a simulLancous and inLcrnal “Lribal making” LhaL gocs on
wiLhin Lhc individuals oí Lhc CowliLz Indian Tribc as Lhcy (wc) ncgoLiaLc
issucs oí racc, culLurc, and acculLuraLion, and LhaL addrcsscs Lhc issucs oí
whcrc Lhcy (wc), as lcgally idcnLificd and sclí-idcnLificd CowliLz individuals,
crcaLc mcaning and conLinuiLy.
And so, wiLh all LhaL said, lcL us now bcgin Lo lcarn abouL Lhc CowliLz
Indian Lribc.
± Somc mighL wondcr aL Lhc rclaLivcly small sizc oí my inLcrvicw pool. Bccausc I
chosc Lribal council mcmbcrs and poliLical lcadcrs as a íocus, Lhc majoriLy oí my
inLcrvicws wcrc wiLh poliLicians oí Lhc CowliLz Tribc. Tcrc arc roughly Lwo dozcn
poliLicians, and morc Lhan halí oí my inLcrvicws involvcd Lhcsc pcoplc, which is a
good rcprcscnLaLivc samplc.
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