In 2017 when the Oregon Legislature enacted Senate Bill 13, a.k.a. Tribal History/Shared History , the time was ripe for Native American Oregonians like Stephanie Craig to step into the forefront and preserve vital pieces of regional history.
A Santiam and Yoncalla Kalapuya who is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Craig has been doing just that ever since and at a critical pace.
As Craig was setting up table display of culturally rich artifacts in the lunchroom of St. Paul Elementary School on Friday, May 24, she cursorily mused about the educational program she was about to deliver.
“This is my fifth one this week,” said Craig, who resides probably fewer than a dozen miles away as the crow flies, hailing from a Dayton-area family farm on the west side of the Willamette River with her husband, Joe, and grown kids.
Settings for Craig’s educational programs range from nearby Champoeg State Heritage Area , to farther-flung stints in places like Eugene, or southern Oregon locales such as Medford or Ashland.
“Sometimes it’s every day; sometimes it’s every week,” she explained. “Two weeks ago, I traveled 1,000 miles in two days.”
A descendent of the Native Chief Alquema (Joseph Hutchins), Craig has been working for decades at preserving her culture while practicing such arts as basket weaving; she is a seventh-generation basket weaver. While her educational background is steeped in anthropology with a western culture emphasis, it is to her heritage that she is principally beholden.
“It is really important for that we keep carrying on these traditions,” she explained to the students at St. Paul. “If we don’t do it, it’s lost forever.”
The young students were fascinated by the artifacts on hand – baskets, various implements, a grass skirt, illustrative maps, foraged staples such as camas, cedar bark, nettles and willow (which is a natural aspirin). They were most immediately curious about Craig’s chin tattoo, which she explained denotes her royal heritage.
The students were not the only ones captivated by the regionally unique, grass-roots message, as roughly a half dozen or so educators on hand appeared equally enthralled with the native collections and the various illustrative stories behind them.
A welcome addition
In addition to SB 13, the seeds for this unique opportunity sprouted locally. St. Paul 4th Grade teacher Melissa Reed said this past November a group of teachers from various Oregon school districts attended a two-part professional development opportunity hosted by the Willamette Education Service District .
“I, along with two other teachers from the St. Paul School District, Tracy Fleck and Ryan Hannah, attended both days to learn more about the requirements, implementation (and program details),” Reed said. “We also applied for and received a grant to help with purchasing materials, field trips, etc. that might aid in the roll-out/continued implementation of the lesson plans.”
Reed said a portion of that grant money afforded Craig's, visit, presentation and hands-on activity. The latter of which unfolded with students weaving corded fiber from gathered natural materials.
“My goal in having someone like Stephanie come in is to help students connect to a person who is Native American, can speak directly to what they have been learning about Native American history, (and can) speak to the importance of traditions, like passing on various art forms, oral traditions – ‘lifeways’ if you will,” Reed explained.
Moreover: “I think it will be fun for the students to make a traditional basket they can take home.”
Preservation of history growth
Reed and other educators noted that there is currently no requirement to teach these lessons. But such a requirement is something educators do anticipate, and when that occurs the goal is that each grade level and content area would teach three lessons per year.
The current recommendation is for K-12 grades 4, 8, and 11 to teach three lessons per year per content area: English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have a full K-12 curriculum written and available on their website.
“Those lessons are what I have been using in my classroom,” Reed said.
To view a photo gallery of Native American Stephanie Craig’s visit to St. Paul, visit the Woodburn Independent Facebook Page .
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