People Are Dancing Again: The History of the Siletz Tribe of Western Oregon

Description:

This remarkable account, written by Charles Wilkinson, one of the nation's most respected experts in tribal law and history, is rich in the Indian voice and grounded in extensive research that includes oral tradition and personal interviews. The history of the Siletz is in many ways the history of all Indian tribes in America: a story of heartache, perseverance, survival, and revival. It began in a resourcerich homeland thousands of years ago and today finds a vibrant, modern community with a deeply held commitment to tradition.

Brief description: Charles Wilkinson is the Moses Lasky Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Colorado. His fourteen books on law, history, and society in the American West include the standard law casebooks on Indian Law and Federal Public Land Law; The Eagle Bird: Mapping A New West (Pantheon Books, 1992); Fire on the Plateau: Conquest and Endurance in the American Southwest (Island Press, 1999); Messages from Frank's Landing: A Story of Salmon, Treaties, and the Indian Way (University of Washington Press, 2000); Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations (W.W. Norton & Co., 2005); and The People Are Dancing Again: The History of the Siletz Tribe of Western Oregon (University of Washington Press, 2010).

Review Quotes:

"Former tribal attorney Wilkinson has written the definitive history of four centuries of Siletz life by relying on official documents and over 100 interviews with tribal members. Summing up: Recommended."