Assistant Professor, Anthropology and Indigenous Studies
lewisd@oregonstate.edu

Office: 541-737-6140

Waldo Hall

Waldo Hall 278

2250 SW Jefferson Way

2250 SW Jefferson Way
Corvallis, OR 97331
  • Assistant Professor, School of Language, Culture, & Society, 2021-Present
  • Principal/Owner, Ethnohistory Research, LLC, Salem, Oregon, 2014-Present
  • Instructor, School of Language, Culture, & Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis Oregon, 2013-2021
  • Tribal Historian/Cultural Archives and Exhibits Manager, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Grand Ronde, Oregon, 2012-2014
  • Cultural Resources Department Manager, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Grand Ronde, Oregon, 2006-2012
  • Department Manager, Cultural Resources Department
    • Cultural Resources Administrator: Archaeological Protection, THPO development, program policies, Cultural archives development, History research, Museum planning, regional consultation, planning, grant writing, policy writing, annual budget management, supervised up to 20 people.
    • Field Research at NARA Seattle, Oregon Historical Society, Douglas County Museum
  • Tribal Historian/Cultural Exhibits and Archives Manager
    • Grand Ronde History Conference Administration (2), Exhibits curator, Archival development
    • Grand Ronde Education Curriculum Consultation and content writer.
  • Tribal Museum Curator/Cultural Liaison
    • Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center: Planning, policies, fundraising, staff training, collections management, exhibit curation, archival field research

Interpretive Projects

  • Tribal Interpretive Ceded Lands signs project: Director, researched, and curated 21 projects
  • Exhibit Curation: Created program and trained staff for future museum curation program, arranged collaborative arrangements with five regional museums, curated numerous exhibits at the Grand Ronde Tribe

Other Experience:

  • Ethnohistory Research, LLC Owner/Principal Consultant, 2014- present
  • Spanish History of Early Oregon Territory: Ongoing consultation, 2019
  • Linn County Historical Museum, Brownsville: Consultation and narrative research and writing for Kalapuyans exhibit 2018-2019
  • Washington County Historical Society Museum. PCC Rock Creek: Consultant, presenter, The Kalapuyans,This is Their land.
  • Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw: Traditional Cultural Property Nomination of Coos Bay- 2018
  • Coquille Indian Tribe: Research and narrative writing for Two Traditional Cultural Property Nominations of Battle Rock and Grandmother Rock-2017
  • Tolowa Dee’ni Nation Tribal Consultation: Tribal cultural regional research- 2015
  • Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde: Joel Palmer Journals transcription and editing-2015
  • Watershed Consultations: Calapooia River Watershed & Long Tom River Watershed consultations, educational programs, presentations, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, interpretive signs
  • River Road School, Eugene: consultation on Tribal art, imagery, and historical signage
  • Cedar Mill Heritage Center: Planning and advisory for heritage center development, manuscript editing, cultural essays about Kalapuya tribes
  • Place Naming: Facilitated these names: Tilikum Crossing (Portland), Whilamut Passage (I-5 at Eugene), Kalapuya Elementary (Salem), Khanamokst Park (Portland), Chifin Native Center (Springfield)
  • Government Collections Archival Studies: Research in the National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, National Archives Records Administration, Oregon Historical Society Library, Grand Ronde Cultural Collection, University collections, Preparation of history projects and books.
  • Continuous Field Research in the Oregon Territorial Records, and the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs microfilm series M2, M234, etc.

 

 

Professional Affiliations: 
  • Oregon Encyclopedia Advisory Board
  • American Anthropology Association
  • Ethnohistory Association
  • Northwest Archivists
Education: 

Ph.D. Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2009

M.A. Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2000

B.A. Humanities Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, 1997

A.A. Humanities, Santa Rosa Jr. College, Santa Rosa, CA, 1993

Service: 
  • Pacific Northwest History Conference Committee, 2019-2020
  • Oregon Heritage Commission, 2009-2017 (2 years Chair)
  • Eena Haws Longhouse Advisory Committee,  2018- present (OSU)
  • Many Nations Longhouse Advisory Committee, (1990s) (UO)
Honors and Awards: 
  • Co-presenting with Oregon Poet Laureate Peter Sears, Named #1 of Projects undertaken during tenure 2015-2016.
  • Whilamut Passage Bridge Project. Oregon Heritage Excellence Award, ODOT for Design and Community Outreach. 2015 (served on bridge naming committee)
  • Chinookan Peoples of the Lower Columbia. Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2014. (Writer and organizer with a chapter in the book)
  • Grand Ronde Canoe Journey Exhibition.  Award of Merit, American Association for State and Local History. 2012 (Curator of the exhibit)
  • Owl Ridge Project. Oregon Heritage Excellence Award, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. 2009 (Organizer coordinator of the project)
  • Southwest Oregon Research Project (SWORP). Honored, Honoring Nations, The Harvard Project for American Indian Economic Development. 2002 (organized the collection)
Additional Information: 

Dissertation: Termination of the Grand Ronde Tribe (2009)

Office Hours: 
Waldo 278

Profile Field Tabs

Biography

David G. Lewis, PhD, is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a descendant of the Takelma, Chinook, Molalla, and Santiam Kalapuya peoples of western Oregon. David has engaged in research on the tribal histories of Northwest Coastal peoples, specializing in the Western Oregon Tribes. David served as the director of the Southwest Oregon Project Collection at the UO, and was the Culture Department manager of the Grand Ronde Tribe for 8 years. David has a PhD in anthropology from the University of Oregon (2009) and teaches full time in Anthropology and Native Studies at OSU. David's research essays about the histories of the tribes are published on the blogsite ndnhistoryresearch.com. David lives in Salem with his wife Donna, and sons Inatye and Saghaley.

At OSU
Affiliated with: 
Sch Lang, Culture & Soc
Courses Taught: 
  • Ethnic Studies -
    • ES 241 - Intro to Native Studies
    • ES 345 - Native Americans in Oregon
    • ES 399 - Native North Americans, Alaskan Natives
  • Anthropology -
    • Anth 311 - Peoples of the World - North America
    • Anth 435/535 - Cultural Resources: Policy & Procedures
    • Anth 472/572 - Contemporary Native Issues
  • Cross Listed Courses -
    • Anth 470/570/ES 445/445H Native American Science and Technology (Traditional Ecological Knowledge)
  • Specialized Teaching
    • Straub Environmental Center, TEK sections (2016-2017)
    • Calapooia River Watershed Council, TEK sections (2017)
    • Long Tom Watershed Council, TEK workshop, Education (2017)
Research/Career Interests: 
  • Oregon Native Peoples History and Culture
  • Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Oral Histories and Narratives of Native Peoples
  • Ethnohistory of Colonization
Proceedings and Conference Presentations: 
Beyond OSU
Personal Links: 
Ndnhistory Research Blogsite
Personal Interests: 

Research and education about Native peoples of Western Oregon. 

My Publications

I currently have no publications listed within this site.