As part of the 2024 University Press Week blog tour and in recognition of Native American Heritage Month, today we are highlighting our collaborations with Indigenous nations and communities. The thirteenth annual University Press Week continues all week (November 11–15) with the theme #StepUP, highlighting how university presses worldwide step up to educate and enlighten, motivate and inspire, support and act.
The University of Washington Press publishes a wide range of books significant to Native and Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Our books in this area engage with rich and dynamic histories, political activism, artistic production, cultural traditions, and environmental teachings crucial to the pasts, presents, and futures of Indigenous peoples.
From scholarly studies to collections of stories and language resources, our books serve as tools of revitalization and connection within and among Native communities. These books also share important Indigenous teachings and knowledge with a broader public.
Our publishing practice is based on close collaboration with the Indigenous nations and communities we serve.
In the spring of 2023, we published Jesintel, a richly illustrated book gathering the cultural teachings of nineteen Coast Salish elders for new generations, in partnership with Children of the Setting Sun Productions, a Native-led production company based in Bellingham, Washington. Collaboration was at the heart of this work and informed how the editors and community came together to honor the boundless relations of Coast Salish people and their territories. The book launch, held at the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House on the University of Washington Seattle campus in April 2023, featured Native youth in dialog with Coast Salish elders interviewed in the book.
Earlier this year, we published Treaty Justice the definitive history of the Boldt Decision by legal historian and longtime tribal advocate Charles Wilkinson (1941–2023). The Boldt Decision was a landmark civil rights case that affirmed the fishing rights and tribal sovereignty of Native nations in Washington State and transformed Indigenous law and resource management in the US.
We were honored to participate in events marking the 50th anniversary of the Boldt Decision in February 2024, including a two-day symposium organized by the Northwest Treaty Tribes and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission at the Muckleshoot Events Center. The program brought the treaty tribe members as well as non-Native community together to remember, learn about, and mark the importance of the pivotal 1974 court decision.
UW Press also partnered with Children of the Setting Sun Productions on a launch event for Treaty Justice at Town Hall Seattle. More than two hundred people attended the event, which featured a panel discussion on the significance of the Boldt Decision and its enduring impact on the tribal sovereignty movement in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Participants included Puyallup elder Nancy Shippentower and Jeremiah “Jay” Julius, from the Lummi Nation. Images and videos projected on the outside of the building illustrated the cultural significance of salmon for Northwest tribes.
Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited to release Puyallup activist Ramona Bennett Bill‘s memoir, Fighting for the Puyallup Tribe. Bennett Bill has been involved in the battles waged by the Puyallup and other Northwest tribes around fishing rights, land rights, health, and education for over six decades. Published in partnership with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Fighting for the Puyallup Tribe will not only serve as an important record of Native activism in the Northwest but also inspire future generations working for Native rights and environmental justice.
More Books on Indigenous History, Culture, and Language Revitalization
About the UP Week Blog Tour
For University Press Week, participating presses are blogging about the many ways in which university presses step up. Check out more posts from the UP Week Blog Tour and join the conversation on social media using the #UPWeek and #StepUP hashtags.
