The city of Philomath invites the community to a special program set for Monday, Oct. 14 at City Hall as part of Indigenous Peoples Day. The event with guest speaker David Lewis, an assistant professor of anthropology at Oregon State University, begins at 5:30 p.m.
The holiday honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. Oregon formally started recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day as a state holiday in 2021.
Lewis, who is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, will offer an introspective on Indigenous Peoples Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Monday in October. Lewis, a descendant of the Takelma, Chinook, Molalla and Santiam Kalapuya peoples of western Oregon, has done extensive research on the tribal histories of Northwest Coastal peoples, specializing in the western Oregon tribes.
Lewis served as the director of the Southwest Oregon Research Project Collection at the University of Oregon and was the Culture Department manager of the Grand Ronde Tribe for eight years. He has a doctorate in anthropology from UO and teaches in anthropology and indigenous studies at OSU.
Lewis authored a book entitled, “Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley,” published in 2023.
All are welcome to attend this special presentation. Philomath City Hall is located at 980 Applegate St. Following the program, the Philomath City Council will begin its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m.