PORT TOWNSEND — The story of a pioneering Coast Salish woman will be told by Humanities Washington speaker Llyn De Danaan in “History in Your Backyard,” the Jefferson County Historical Society First Friday Lecture this coming Friday.
The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the Port Townsend City Council chamber at historic City Hall, 540 Water St.
Admission is free. Donations are welcome to support historical society programs.
De Danaan is an anthropologist and author. For the past 15 years, she has studied and written about the history of Japanese Americans, Native Americans and European Americans of the 19th and early 20th century in Oyster Bay.
Her 2013 book Katie Gale: A Coast Salish Woman’s Life on Oyster Bay is based on her research.
It tells the story of a woman whose extraordinary life swayed wildly between triumphs and tragedies.
De Danaan will discuss how she discovered local history and how chance, perseverance, and interpretive storytelling can lead writers to find fascinating history in their own communities.
De Danaan, professor emerita at The Evergreen State College, is one of 31 cultural experts and scholars selected for the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau.
She has worked as a consultant to Washington tribes and has developed curricula with Native American educators and the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Education.
She received the Washington State Historical Society’s Peace and Friendship Award for furthering understanding of Washington’s diversity.
She was a founding member of the Mason County Historic Preservation Commission and is a contributor to many publications.
