Confluence Library

Roberta Conner tells how her grandfather was reintroduced to his homeland and the importance of “stories about the land and how the land takes care of us.”

Sarah Vowell talks about storytelling within nonfiction and history.

On May 11th we held a virtual conversation with writer Sarah Vowell to explore the national recalibration that’s underway over how America expresses its stories and values in public spaces.

Communities across the nation have faced a reckoning with their monuments. The last year has seen a groundswell of questions about who gets to define our stories in the public sphere. On April 27th, 2021 we held a conversation consider modern examples of healthy commemoration of Indigenous history and cultures.

Native American Elder, Storyteller, and Educator Ed Edmo, and former professor Lani Roberts speak about growing up in The Dalles during the 1950s. Although they grew up in the same area and are the same age, their lives were lived in parallel fashion because of the differences in their ethnic heritage.  Their juxtaposed stories give a full picture of rural Oregon and the parallel lives they led along the N’chi-Wana River.

This talk argues that the Doctrine of Discovery morphed into “American Manifest Destiny” and was used, and is still being used today, to justify the United States’ acquisition of the lands and assets of the Indian Nations and peoples.

Jane Jacobsen talks about how Confluence was created as a response to the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, and the decision by tribes to invite Maya Lin to design the artwork, as well as the importance of respect for places.

Bill Yallup Jr (Yakama) talks about trade and sale, and the concept of owning land.