Sunriver Then & Now: Indigenous History Spanning Precontact to Current Issues

Who were the original stewards of the land we know today as Sunriver? Take a journey into the past to learn more about the Indigenous people of Central Oregon.

This is an in-person program. Registration is required. Register through the SunriverYou website here: http://www.sunriveryou.com/. Wearing a face covering is optional at all library events.

Who were the original stewards of the land we know today as Sunriver? Take a journey into the past to learn more about the Indigenous people of Central Oregon. We will learn more about local Tribes and their ways of life pre-contact, during settlement, through the legislative period of the 1900s as well as current issues facing the Tribes that have called Central Oregon home since time immemorial.

This joint presentation by the Deschutes Public Library and Sunriver You will discuss the original inhabitants of the Sunriver area, Indigenous first foods, natural resources issues, and Native language, as well as an overview of Native history as it impacted Tribes within this area. Legislative history will include the period of treaty-making and the federal policies of Termination and Restoration related to the Klamath Tribes. We will also discuss the strength and resilience of the Native culture, how it continues in our communities today, and what current issues Tribes are facing. The presentation will be a blending of historical facts, current issues, and oral storytelling.

Presenter: Gabriann Hall is the granddaughter of Marilyn Mitchell Hall, who was a survivor of Canyonville Bible Academy in Oregon and Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kansas. She is the daughter of Lawrence and Ann Hall from Fort Klamath, Oregon. Gabriann is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes and volunteers with the Tribe on education-related issues. She was born and raised in the Fort Klamath Valley and attended school in Chiloquin, Oregon. She then went to Oregon State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Ethnic Studies, a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and later a Master of Arts in Teaching. She currently resides in Central Oregon and teaches Ethnic Studies and Native Studies at Central Oregon Community College. Teaching diverse history is a passion of hers. She believes that understanding the impacts of the past on the present is instrumental to successfully navigating the world today.