Clackamas Chinook Performance Art: Verse Form Interpretations

Victoria Howard, born around 1865, was a Clackamas shaman and Molalla chief's granddaughter. In 1929, linguist Melville Jacobs recorded her oral traditions, resulting in a corpus of linguistic and ethnographic material. Catharine Mason edited twenty-five of Howard's performances into verse form, pairing them with biographical, family, and historical content. Mason's study reveals how Howard contemplated and internalized her literary heritage's complex meanings and everyday lessons.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 266 pages
Publication date: 19 February 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Victoria Howard, born in 1865, just over ten years after the establishment of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in western Oregon, comes from a remarkable lineage. Her maternal grandmother, Wagayuhlen Quiaquaty, held a prestigious position as a successful and esteemed Clackamas shaman at Grand Ronde, while her maternal grandfather, Quiaquaty, was an esteemed Molalla chief. In the summer of 1929, linguist Melville Jacobs, a student of Franz Boas, approached Howard with a request to record Clackamas Chinook oral traditions. Howard enthusiastically agreed, and the result is an intricate and vibrant corpus of linguistic and ethnographic material, as well as rich performances of Clackamas literary heritage, as dictated by Howard and meticulously transcribed by Jacobs in his field notebooks. Ethnographical descriptions provide insight into the traditional lifestyle and environment in which Howard grew up, while fine details of cultural and historical events reveal her deep consideration and devotion to recalling her past and that of her people.

Catharine Mason has taken on the task of editing twenty-five of Howard's spoken-word performances into verse form, entextualizations, while also incorporating the annotations provided by Jacobs in his publications of Howard's corpus in the late 1950s. Mason skillfully pairs these performances with biographical, family, and historical content that reflects Howard's ancestry, personal and social life, education, and worldview. Through her study, Mason unveils compelling evidence of how Howard contemplated and internalized the profound meanings and everyday lessons of her literary heritage.

Victoria Howard's life and legacy continue to be celebrated and explored through the ongoing efforts of researchers and scholars. Her contributions to the preservation and revitalization of Clackamas Chinook language and culture are invaluable, and her spoken-word performances serve as a testament to her talent and dedication as an artist. The meticulous work of Melville Jacobs and Catharine Mason in recording and preserving Howard's oral traditions has allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of her life and the rich tapestry of her literary heritage.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496230416