Oregonians
Marie Aioe Dorion (c. 1786-1850)
Sacajawea (c. 1788 - 1812)
Indigenous women who traveled to Oregon, both the only female members of their parties, and often serving as interpreters and guides. While they did not travel together, it’s possible they knew each other.
Dorion was of mixed ancestry: her mother was from the Iowa tribe, her father French-Canadian. Part of a fur trapping expedition, Dorion’s husband was killed in Oregon; she managed to survive the winter alone with her young children, eventually settling near Saint Louis, OR.
Sacajewea, a Lemhi Shoshone, traveled with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She served as an interpreter and guide; as a woman traveling with men, she also represented the group’s peaceful intentions.
Sacajewea sculpture by Alice Cooper in Washington Park. Photo via Wikipedia.
Sister Francella Mary Griggs (1920-2012)
Member of the Siletz tribe and Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. She advocated for the restoration of the Siletz tribes; the tribe was restored in 1977. She became a professor at the Indian Center of Eastern Oregon University and executive director of the Portland Urban Indian Program.
Photo from Griggs’s obituary, via The Catholic Sentinel
Eula Petite
A member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, she was a driving force behind the revitalization of Chinuk Wawa. She begin giving informal lessons in the 1970s, and worked with other elders and linguists to preserve the language.
Sara Siestreem (b. 1976)
A Hanis Coo, master artist who works in a variety of mediums, including indigenous forms of weaving and basket making. In addition to making art, she also teaches others traditional forms of weaving.
In 2020, the Chehalem Cultural Center showcased her work, CACHE NINE: the hope material (how to feel not scared in a pandemic).
Chief Joseph (1840 - 1904)
Leader of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce. When the federal government tried to remove the Nez Perce from their land, Joseph and his people tried to seek asylum in Canada. The US Army pursued, leading to the Nez Perce War. Cornered in Montana, Chief Joseph surrendered in 1877.
Chief Joseph had negotiated for his people to be returned to the Pacific Northwest, but instead were held as prisoners of war in Kansas, then Oklahoma. Joseph remained an outspoken advocate for his people, criticizing their treatment by the US government.
Photo of Chief Joseph in 1877, via Wikipedia
Yellow Wolf (c. 1855 - 1935)
Yellow Wolf, also known as He–Mene Mox Mox and Heinmot Hihhih, was a Nez Perce warrior who fought in the 1877 Nez Perce War. In 1907, he began speaking with writer Lucullus Virgil McWhorter to provide the native perspective on the war. He explained, “I am telling my story that all may know the war we did not want. War is made to take something that is not your own.”
McWhorter published Yellow Wolf: His Own Story.
Anthony Hudson/Carla Rossi
A member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a writer, artist, and performer, best known for performing as a drag clown in Portland and beyond.
Photo by Wayne Bud, via Hudson’s website
Agnes Baker Pilgrim (1924 - 2019)
Member of the Takelma tribe, born in Grants Pass, OR. Known as the “Keeper of the Sacred Salmon Ceremony,” Pilgrim and her husband worked with various tribes to be able to perform the ceremony again publicly; the ceremony is held yearly at the Applegate River.
In 2004, she helped to found “13 Grandmothers,” a group of 13 indigenous women. The group fights for global justice and peace, as well as advocating for local concerns.
Photo via her website