Dr. David Lewis will bring thousands of years of Willamette Valley tribal history to the Beaverton City Library on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m.
Lewis, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and a professor of anthropology and Indigenous studies at Oregon State University, will present "Past & Future Cultural Lifeways of Western Oregon Tribes." The free event takes place at the library's main branch, 12375 SW Fifth St.
The presentation covers the history of the Kalapuya, Chinook, Molalla and other tribes who lived along the valley's riverbanks, forests and mountains for millennia, according to the library's event listing. Lewis will highlight Native perspectives on the region's history.
Lewis is a descendant of the Takelma, Chinook, Molalla and Santiam Kalapuya peoples of western Oregon, according to his OSU faculty profile. Before joining OSU, he managed the Culture Department of the Grand Ronde Tribe for eight years. He earned his PhD in anthropology from the University of Oregon in 2009.
His 2023 book, "Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley," published by Portland's Ooligan Press, drew on federal records dating to the 1840s and ethnographic records from the 1870s onward, OPB reported in December 2023.
The book weaves together first encounters between settlers and tribes, the dispossession of tribal lands and the lasting impact of assimilation efforts.
"99% of the people that come to my classes know nothing about Native peoples," Lewis told OPB in December 2023, when the book was released.
The library's event listing says the program was funded in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities, a statewide nonprofit affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Oregon Humanities awarded the library a $648 mini grant in March 2026 as part of $24,690 distributed to eleven Oregon libraries.
The event is free and open to the public.
Upcoming at Beaverton-area libraries:
- Thursday, Sept. 17 — "Past & Future Cultural Lifeways of Western Oregon Tribes" with Dr. David Lewis, 7 p.m., Beaverton City Library, 12375 SW Fifth St.
- Saturday, Sept. 19 — Mid-Autumn Festival, Brookwood Library (free)
- Thursday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Oct. 4 — Fall Book and Media Sale, Beaverton City Library
