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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's David G. Lewis? A lewis-ive force in history.

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David G. Lewis, a historian and anthropologist at Oregon State University, researches indigenous tribes of Oregon, specializing in those of the Willamette Valley.[1][2] An enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, he has traveled the United States piecing together information about the Kalapuya from archives in universities, historical societies, and government agencies.[3]

Early life and education

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David Lewis (born 1964 or 1965)[4] attended Swegle Elementary School in Salem, Oregon.[5] An enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde,[6] Lewis traces his lineage to the Takelma, Chinook, Molalla, and Santiam Kalapuya tribes.[1]

David Lewis completed his associate degree in humanities at Santa Rosa Junior College in 1993.[7] He finished his bachelor's degree in humanities in 1997, and his master's degree in anthropology in 2000, both at the University of Oregon.[8][9] Lewis earned his University of Oregon Ph.D. in 2009,[10] with his dissertation, Termination of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon: Politics, Community, Identity, advised by Lynn Stephen.[11]

Career

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In 2013, Lewis was elected chairman of the Oregon Heritage Commission, part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. He was the first Native American to fill that role, after previously serving on the board for four years.[10]

Lewis was also appointed to the Bridge Naming Committee and submitted the name in 2014 that was ultimately chosen for the Tilikum Crossing bridge on behalf of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.[12] Lewis left his position as tribal historian at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde that same year.[4]

In 2019, Lewis also wrote fourteen narratives for the video game "When Rivers Were Trails," featuring encounters with people indigenous to Oregon and Northern California.[13]

Since 2017, Lewis has been employed on the faculty of at Oregon State University. In 2022, he was appointed to a tenure-track position as assistant professor of Anthropology & Indigenous Studies in Oregon State University's College of Liberal Arts. He was one of three full-time faculty hired that year to acknowledge "that (Indigenous) histories and knowledge are valued and that they should be prioritized".[4][9]

Since 2021, Lewis has served as a consultant to the Oregon Geographic Names Board.[4][9][14] He has posited that the name for "Oregon" may come from the word "ooligan", used by First Peoples in Canada.[15][16]

Research and selected publications

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  • Lewis, David G. (2023-11-14). Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley. Ooligan Press. ISBN 978-1-947845-41-1. (He has also posted a series of 86 YouTube videos under the same title as the book.)[17] Lewis examines settler contact with the Native American tribes living in the Willamette Valley, beginning with the first years of contact, addressing relocation to reservations and forced assimilation in boarding schools by the United States government, and ending with the Western Oregon Indian Termination Act of 1954.[4][6][18]
  • Johnston, James D.; Schmidt, Micah R.; Merschel, Andrew G.; Downing, William M.; Coughlan, Michael R.; Lewis, David G. (2023). "Exceptional variability in historical fire regimes across a western Cascades landscape, Oregon, USA". Ecosphere. 14 (12) e4735. doi:10.1002/ecs2.4735. ISSN 2150-8925.
  • Quesnel Seipp, Kimberly; Maurer, Tessa; Elias, Micah; Saksa, Phil; Keske, Catherine; Oleson, Kirsten; Egoh, Benis; Cleveland, Rachael; Nyelele, Charity; Goncalves, Nicolas; Hemes, Kyle; Wyrsch, Peter; Lewis, David; Chung, Min Gon; Guo, Han (2023-10-15). "A multi-benefit framework for funding forest management in fire-driven ecosystems across the Western U.S." Journal of Environmental Management. 344 118270. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118270. ISSN 0301-4797.
  • Lewis, David G; Connolly, T.J. (2019). "White American violence on tribal peoples on the Oregon coast" (PDF). Oregon Historical Quarterly. 120 (4): 368–381.
  • Lewis, David G. (2014). "Four Deaths: The Near Destruction of Western Oregon Tribes and Native Lifeways, Removal to the Reservation, and Erasure from History". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 115 (3): 414–437. doi:10.1353/ohq.2014.0075. ISSN 2329-3780.
  • Lewis, David G. (2013-05-23). "Despite new visibility, native struggle goes on". The Register-Guard. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  • Lewis, David G.; Kentta, Robert (2010). "Western Oregon Reservations: Two Perspectives on Place". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 111 (4): 476–485. doi:10.5403/oregonhistq.111.4.0476. ISSN 0030-4727.
  • Byram, Scott; Lewis, David G. (January 7, 2001). "Ourigan: wealth of the northwest coast" (PDF). Oregon Historical Quarterly. 102 (2): 126–157.

References

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  1. 1 2 "Expert on Kalapuya Tribe to address Eugene City Club". Lookout Eugene-Springfield. 2026-01-28. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
  2. ↑ "OSU professor to discuss Willamette Valley tribal history at Roseburg Library". KPIC. 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  3. ↑ Morrison, Donny (2019-01-28). "The future of the Kalapuya story". Daily Emerald. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Rhodes, Dean (2023-09-14). "David Lewis writes histories of Willamette Valley Tribes". Smoke Signals. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  5. ↑ Rhodes, Dean (2011-08-12). "Tribal youth opts for canoe during fourth-grade lesson". Smoke Signals. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  6. 1 2 McDonald, Abbey (2023-11-17). "New book reveals Willamette Valley Indigenous History". Salem Reporter. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  7. ↑ "David Lewis | College of Liberal Arts | Oregon State University". liberalarts.oregonstate.edu. 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  8. ↑ Greenstone, Scott (2015-11-22). "For UO linguists and students, saving a language saves a culture". Daily Emerald. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
  9. 1 2 3 McInally, Mike (2022-03-14). ""Cluster hire" allows SLCS to proceed with plans to launch a minor in Indigenous Studies". liberalarts.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  10. 1 2 Rhodes, Dean (2013-05-30). "Lewis elected chair of Oregon Heritage Commission". Smoke Signals. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  11. ↑ Lewis, David Gene (March 2009). Termination of the Confederated Tribes of the Greand Ronde Communith of Oregon: Politics, Community, Identity. University of Oregon.
  12. ↑ Rhodes, Dean (2014-01-30). "The Final Four: Bridge may receive Chinuk Wawa name". Smoke Signals. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  13. ↑ Frost, Danielle (2019-04-15). "New video game features David Lewis' narratives". Smoke Signals. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
  14. ↑ Richards, Karen (2021-11-28). "Offensive place names in Oregon have been slow to change. Here's why". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
  15. ↑ "Study says Oregon has a 'fishy' origin". The Daily Astorian. 2001-07-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  16. ↑ McGuinness, Hannarose (2026-01-25). "The origins of the name Oregon". The Register-Guard. pp. A1. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  17. ↑ Lewis, David E. "Tribal histories of the Willamette Valley, David G. Lewis, author". YouTube. Retrieved 2026-07-31.
  18. ↑ Karabaic, Lillian. "Beyond settler history: New book explores the story of Willamette Valley's Indigenous tribes". opb. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
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