Painting by John Mix Stanley, "Mountain Landscape with Indians," ca. 1847-1853, Detroit Institute of Arts.  Our sole depiction of a traditional Chinookan village.  Mt. Hood in the background; somewhere in the Columbia River Gorge.
Painting by John Mix Stanley, “Mountain Landscape with Indians,” ca. 1847-1853, Detroit Institute of Arts. Our sole depiction of a traditional Chinookan village. Mt. Hood in the background; somewhere in the Columbia River Gorge.

 

 

 

 

Welcome

Welcome to my website! For forty years I have been researching and writing about the early history and traditional cultures of the Native American peoples of the Pacific Northwest.  This website is an introduction my research and the books that have resulted from it. I look forward to sharing this information with you.

— Robert T. Boyd

Updates from Bob

New documentary source for the introduction of smallpox in the late 1700s

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My first update concerns the late 1700s smallpox epidemic (chapter two), and a new discovery of my own that gives added weight to the hypothesis that smallpox first entered the region via a coastal contact. The source is an important … Read More

Updating “Pestilence”

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When UW Press announced to me back in September 2020 that they wanted to reissue “The Coming of the Spirit of Pestilence” in paper, they didn’t allow me to revise and update (probably wise, since it would take a while … Read More

update, February 28 2021

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After a long hiatus, I’m back on my website with great news! Both The Coming of the Spirit of Pestilence and Indians, Fire and the Land in the Pacific Northwest are scheduled for republication during 2021. The Coming of the Spirit of … Read More

“Celebrate Native heritage at Willamette Falls” May 18 op ed in Oregon City News

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I’m a bit late posting this, but here’s the link to my May 18 op ed in the Oregon City News, “Celebrate Native heritage at Willamette Falls”: portlandtribune.com/cr/28-opinion/306897-183016-celebrate-native-heritage-at-willamette-falls  It’s my second media suggestion (after the October 2015 Oregonian op ed) … Read More

New Oregon Encyclopedia online articles on Portland Native Peoples

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The Oregon Encyclopedia has just published my “Wapato (Wappato) Valley Indians,” and “Portland Basin Chinookan Villages in the 1800s” (with Henry Zenk).  If you want the basics on Portland Native peoples, read these!  Both provide thumbnail sketches of that data … Read More

Our article “Chinookan Villages of the Lower Columbia” is out in the spring OHQ!

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After a year’s work, our article on “Chinookan Villages of the Lower Columbia” just came out in the Spring 2016 Oregon Historical Quarterly.  Authors are Henry Zenk, Yvonne Hajda, and myself.  I’ve known Henry and Yvonne for over thirty years, … Read More