Read Indigenous!

In summer of 2025, a group of Indigenous teenagers accomplished a remarkable feat. With the support of their communities and the Paddle Tribal Waters program, teens from tribes with deep connections to the Klamath River paddled kayaks from the source of the river in Klamath County all the way to the river’s mouth in Northern California. This was the first complete descent of the Klamath in more than 100 years, made possible by the recent removal of four dams along the river. Their 30-day, 310-mile journey was a celebration of Indigenous solidarity, environmental stewardship, and the strength, grit, and potential of the young paddlers. 

I followed the paddlers on social media during their descent, and each day’s check-in was joyful, triumphant, and full of hope for the future. That hope was beautiful to see, especially in the light of the history of the Klamath River. While the tribes these teens belong to have lived on and with the river for time immemorial, the last century or so saw hydroelectric dams built along the river, blocking the salmon from reaching their historic spawning habitats, warming the water to unhealthy temperatures, and causing ecological decline. In 2002, those conditions, exacerbated by drought, resulted in an estimated 70,000 adult salmon dying off before they could spawn. Tribal members started a grassroots campaign to remove the dams, and after many years of protests, lawsuits, and increasingly widespread support, an agreement was reached to remove the four major dams along the Klamath. 

Stories like this: of dam removal, of Indigenous land and water rights being restored, of tribal involvement in river conservation and restoration, have been increasingly present in the news in recent years. Seeing teenage tribal members deepening their relationships with their river, right in our backyard, feels like a restoration of balance, or at least movement in that direction. 

My boss and I were talking the other day about why good news about Indigenous communities in our region have such an impact on us. Neither of us have Indigenous heritage, and we didn’t even grow up in Oregon. But we love the home we have found here, and good news for the people who have always been here feels like good news for all of us who care about the well-being of this corner of the planet.  

As I learn more about the Indigenous history in this place, I feel more deeply rooted here myself. The JCLS Land Acknowledgement ends by encouraging everyone to learn more about the land we reside on, and while that is a solemn undertaking, it is also one that can lead to a deepening of joy and connection to the place that you call home.  

Oh, and yes, we are a library, so I have some book suggestions to start you on your way. 

For a first-hand account of the Yurok Tribe’s work to restore the Klamath River, pick up The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life by Amy Bowers Cordalis. This brand-new book is part memoir and part history lesson. It draws a connection from the author’s work as General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe and Co-founder of Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group back through generations of her family’s determination to reclaim and maintain their right to access and care for the river that has always been theirs. You might also have seen Amy (an Ashland High School grad) and her niece, Keeya (one of the kayakers from the first descent group and a current senior at Ashland High) on the Kelly Clarkson Show last week. 

Indigenous author Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose books include Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry, invites her readers to enter into a relationship of understanding, stewardship, and reciprocity with nature and their environment. While her heritage is not from our area, her books can give insight into how to foster a connection to the place you live. 

In Ned Blackhawk’s The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, the author reincorporates Indigenous History into the story of mainstream American History, helping us form a more nuanced understanding of the past five centuries on this continent. The stories are not always easy or joyful, but they stand as a testament to the strength and resilience of Indigenous people. 

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, JCLS staff pulled together a list of our favorite recent books by Indigenous authors. This list is mostly adult titles, with some YA, and spans both fiction and nonfiction. Our hope is to make it easy for our library users to explore Indigenous perspectives and stories, from near and far, and perhaps to incorporate those perspectives into their own relationship with the place they call home.