David Gene Lewis (born 1965) is a Native American writer and editor, and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon. He researches information about the Kalapuya from archives in universities, historical societies, and government agencies, and writes about indigenous tribes, specializing in those of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Since 2022, he has held a faculty appointment in anthropology and ethnic studies at Oregon State University.
Early life and education David Gene Lewis was born in 1965 in Heidelberg, Germany, the son of Viet Nam era soldier Gary Wayne Lewis, and Polly Katherine (née Cox) Lewis. He married Donna Marie Ralstin, and they have two adult sons, Saghaley and Inaty.
Lewis attended Swegle Elementary School and McKay High School, both in Salem, Oregon. He completed an Associate of Arts degree at Santa Rosa Junior College in 1993, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in humanities (1997) as well as both a Master's (2000) and also a Ph.D. (2009) in anthropology at the University of Oregon. His dissertation, Termination of the confederated tribes of the Grand Ronde community of Oregon: Politics, community, identity, was advised by Lynn Stephen.
Career
David Lewis has an established career as a writer and historian, publishing dozens of entries on The Oregon Encyclopedia, more than 500 posts about historical topics on his blog, The Quartux Journal, as well as research articles in literary journals, on diverse topics such as Oregon tribal histories, historical fire regimes, and forest management.
When his son Saghaley's fourth-grade class at Salem's Swegle Elementary School "was making models of Oregon Trail-type wagons", Lewis pointed out, "This is inappropriate for him as an Indian. Why not do something more appropriate for his culture?" Lewis, as the manager of the Tribe's Cultural Resources Department, encouraged his son to make a canoe instead: "He's presenting a different story of history and culture to his class... Everybody's of one mind with pioneers and wagons; Natives used canoes. Why can't we (as Natives) feature that history? In public education today, there is not enough emphasis on Native culture." According to the news report,
The Oregon Encyclopedia describes his work as an author while he served on its editorial board: "DAVID G. LEWIS is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a descendant of the Takelma, Chinook, Molalla, and Santiam Kalapuya peoples of western Oregon... a private contractor, conducting research, giving historical presentations and writing articles about the tribes of Oregon."
According to the Oregon Historical Society,
Lewis' résumé lists his part-time teaching assignments at multiple colleges and universities in Oregon before his OSU faculty appointment. Lewis' teaching routine then involved:
When Lewis was appointed in 2022 as assistant professor of anthropology and ethnic studies at Oregon State University (OSU), the University described his appointment as "an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde... the first Kalapuyan tenure-track appointment in OSU history. He's known throughout the state for consulting work and for his work researching Oregon Native American history."
Selected publications
Books
Articles
References
External links
(Blog site with more than 500 essays)