Tale of Pioneering Native American Woman Inspires Writing of Tribal Histories

Tom Banse

Voice of America | May 13, 2014 1:39 PM

Author LLyn De Danaan at home in Mason County, Washington. (Mary Randlett.)
Author LLyn De Danaan at home in Mason County, Washington. (Mary Randlett.)

OYSTER BAY, WASHINGTON — The discovery of long-forgotten gravestones in a thicket of bramble and alder set one author on the trail of a singular Native American woman and oyster farmer who lived in 19th century Washington state.

The book that resulted is inspiring others to reveal the stories of people who’ve been out of the nation’s collective history.

Cultural crossroads

The waterfront cottage LLyn De Danaan calls home in Oyster Bay, Washington State, overlooks a cultural crossroads that is rich in history. She’s a cultural anthropologist whose eyes and ears are attuned to the signs and stories of place.

From the earliest times, Oyster Bay drew waves of settlers looking to reap shellfish.

De Danaan, who moved to the area in the early 1970s, heard so many tales about pioneer Katie Gale ‒ independent businesswoman who owned property and tidelands in her own name in the late 1800s ‒ that she started a file on her.

“That was all a little bit unusual from conventional wisdom, and things I had heard about both people in the oyster business and Native American women,” De Danaan said.

She was fascinated by Gale’s ability to straddle different worlds, standing up for herself and her mixed-race children.

“I suppose there just were too many things about that that intrigued me that I couldn’t let go of it,” De Danaan said. “I literally could not let go of it for years.”

"Katie Gale: A Coast Salish Woman's Life on Oyster Bay" by LLyn De Danaan.
“Katie Gale: A Coast Salish Woman’s Life on Oyster Bay” by LLyn De Danaan.

Katie Gale’s story

A turning point came when De Danaan and several friends from the historical society discovered an overgrown homestead graveyard not far from her house. One of the headstones belonged to Katie Gale.

“I was so amazed, excited, [and] enthralled that I began beating on Stan’s shoulders as he was kneeling in front of me holding this stone,” she said. “I literally said, ‘I know who this is,’ as if she were an acquaintance of mine. But it almost felt that way. I would say that was a moment of calling. I have to tell this woman’s story. I have to know her.”

But the long-dead Gale left no letters or journals. De Danaan found no photographs or living descendants. The best source material was a divorce case file.

It took almost a decade to accumulate corroborating details, context and enough educated guesses to write a biography. Katie Gale: A Coast Salish Woman’s Life on Oyster Bay was published last fall.

But the tale doesn’t stop there.

Reclaiming lost histories

“There are so many stories not told,” De Danaan said. “There are so many histories and people left out of our histories. That is what my work has to be now. I feel that it is my obligation to do that.”

The biographer is a guest speaker in a writing class at the Evergreen State College Longhouse in Olympia. She encourages students to bring forth stories before they are lost, perhaps starting with family history. It’s a message De Danaan returns to again and again in regular public talks and one-on-one mentoring.

“You are able to find out a lot,” she told the young people, “more than you think.”

All of the students this day are Native American. It takes awhile, but eventually sensitivities come out.

“I was really hesitant about taking the class,” said Melissa, a student who attended.

Her grandmothers warned against exposing too much of their Spokane tribal heritage to outsiders for fear they might twist or exploit it.

Makah tribal member Vince Cook heard that from his elders, too. “That is a tough one, because when I was younger we were told not to record, not to videotape.”

Cook says attitudes are changing now as people see tradition and culture slipping away. He feels spurred to write about his great grandmother and all the things she taught him.

“I think it is important to continue on, not only for myself, but for my family and for others to know about the Makah culture and to keep it alive,” he said.

Other Native Americans also recognize the urgency of gathering history before it’s lost.

Amateur folklorist Si Matta focuses on gathering the stories of his ancestors from the Cascade (Watala) Indian tribe that once lived and fished in the Columbia River Gorge.

He’s using modern means to collect the old stories, by soliciting and sharing material and photographs via a website and Facebook page.

Gathering The Stories Of Northwest People ‘Left Out’ Of History

By Tom Banse, NW News Network

It started with the discovery of long-forgotten gravestones in a thicket of bramble and alder. That set one author on the faint trail of a feisty Native American woman and oyster farmer who lived in 19th century western Washington.

Author LLyn De Danaan at home in Mason County, Washington.
Credit Mary Randlett

 

The biographer is using the resulting book to inspire other Northwesterners — particularly tribal members. She wants to bring out the stories of people who, in her words, have been “left out of our histories.”

The waterfront cottage that LLyn De Danaan calls home on Oyster Bay in Mason County, Washington, overlooks a cultural crossroads rich in history. So it is fortunate she is a cultural anthropologist by profession. Her eyes and ears are tuned to signs and stories of place. And at this place, waves of settlers came from the earliest times to reap shellfish.

De Danaan moved here in the early 1970s. In recent decades, she heard enough tales about one pioneer to start a file. The name was Katie Gale. This independent businesswoman owned property and tidelands in her own name in the late 1800s.

“That was all a little bit unusual from conventional wisdom and things I had heard about both people in the oyster business and Native American women,” says De Danaan.

Finding Katie Gale

The biographer was fascinated by how Gale straddled different worlds and stood up for herself and her mixed race children.

“Katie Gale: A Coast Salish Woman’s Life on Oyster Bay” was published last fall.
Credit University of Nebraska Press

 

“I suppose there just were too many things about that that intrigued me that I couldn’t let go of it,” she says. “I literally couldn’t let go of it for years!”

A turning point came when De Danaan and several friends from the historical society discovered an overgrown little homestead graveyard a mile from her house. One of the headstones belonged to Katie Gale.

“I was so amazed, excited, enthralled that I began beating on Stan’s shoulders as he was kneeling in front of me holding this stone.”

Her friend had to plead with her to contain her excitement and stop it.

“I literally said, ‘I know who this is,’ as if she were an acquaintance of mine. But it almost felt that way,” recalls De Danaan. “I would say that was a moment of calling. I have to tell this woman’s story. I have to know her.”

But here’s the problem: the long-dead Katie Gale left no letters, no journals. De Danaan could find no photographs of her, no living descendants. The best source material was a divorce case file. It took almost a decade to accumulate corroborating details, context and enough educated guesses to write a biography. “Katie Gale: A Coast Salish Woman’s Life on Oyster Bay” was published last fall.

“So many stories not told”

But the tale doesn’t stop there.

“There are so many stories not told,” says De Danaan. “There are so many histories and people left out of our histories. That is what my work has to be now. I feel that it is my obligation to do that.”

At a writing class at the Evergreen State College Longhouse in Olympia, De Danaan is a guest speaker.

De Danaan exhorts the seminar to bring forth stories before they’re lost, perhaps starting with family history. This is a message De Danaan returns to again and again in regular public talks and one-on-one mentoring.

“You’re able to find out a lot more than you think,” she says.

All of the students in the circle facing the author this day are Native American. It takes awhile, but eventually sensitivities come out.

Keeping tradition and culture alive

Author LLyn De Danaan (right) discussed her biography of Katie Gale with students at The Evergreen State College.
Credit Tom Banse / Northwest News Network

 

One student says she was hesitant about taking the class. Her grandmothers warned against exposing too much of their Spokane tribal heritage to outsiders who might twist it or exploit it.

Makah tribal member Vince Cook heard that from his elders too.

“That’s a tough one,” he says. “Because when I was younger we were told not to record, not to videotape.”

Cook says attitudes are changing now as people see tradition and culture slipping away. He feels spurred to write about his great grandmother and all the things she taught him.

“I think it is important to continue on not only for myself, but for my family and for others to know about the Makah culture and to keep it alive,” says Cook.

Another person who says author De Danaan encouraged him is amateur folklorist Si Matta of rural Pe Ell, Washington. Matta’s focus is on gathering the stories of his ancestors from the Cascade (Watala) Indian tribe who once lived and fished in the Columbia River Gorge.

He’s approaching the task in a thoroughly modern way by soliciting and sharing material and old photographs via a website and Facebook page.