Learn more about tribal sovereignty\, trea ties\, and ceded lands from an Indigenous perspective. We&rsquo\;ll explor e the past\, present\, and future with enrolled tribal members from the Wa rm Springs\, Burns-Paiute\, and Klamath Nations.
\n\nAbout the Presenters:
\nJaylyn Suppah: Ali shwalá\;x (ah-lish-wa-luxsh) is Jaylyn&rsquo\;s Indian name given to her by her grandmother\, Margaret Suppah. Jaylyn Suppah is her English na me. She is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs\, located within what is now known as the state of Oregon and a descendant of the Ya kama Nation on her paternal side. On her maternal side\, she is a descenda nt of Shoshone-Bannock and Cree from Canada. Jaylyn is a mother of two\, a community organizer and educator\, an advocate for social justice\, equit able education\, and equitable representation. She was raised on the north ern part of the Warm Springs Reservation in a community called Simnasho. S he is the founder and executive director of Papalaxsimisha\, a reservation based non-profit\, which provides healing spaces and services to her comm unity. She is the co-founder and co-director of Tribal Democracy Project t hat works to protect\, uplift\, and empower Indigenous communities through Tribal civic engagement\, equitable representation\, and Tribal sovereign ty. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts degree with an emphasis in Tribal G overnance from The Evergreen State College through the Native Pathways Pro gram. She is always looking for ways to advocate for her Tribe\, her peopl e\, her community\, and building the capacity to work collectively towards our liberation. She ensures she cultivates spaces that allow for others t o learn\, have a voice\, and to join the efforts.
\n
Tracy D. Kennedy: \;Tracy Kennedy is an enrolled member of the Burns Paiute Tribe\, also kn own as the Wadatika Band of Northern Paiute\, whose homelands are in the n orthern Great Basin. Born and raised on the Burns Paiute Reservation near Burns\, Oregon\, Tracy&rsquo\;s life and work are grounded in her communit y\, her culture\, and a deep responsibility to future generations.
\nThe first in her family to attend college\, Tracy earned her associate de gree from Haskell Indian Nations University and a bachelor&rsquo\;s degree in economics from the University of Oregon. After completing her educatio n\, she returned home with her two children and dedicated herself to stren gthening her community. As the Tribe&rsquo\;s Director of Community and Ec onomic Development for six years\, she led initiatives to improve infrastr ucture\, expand economic opportunities\, and support long-term self-suffic iency.
\nTracy has served on Tribal Council since 2016 and currently serves as Tribal Chairwoman. In this role\, she works to uphold Tribal so vereignty &mdash\; the inherent right of Tribal nations to govern themselv es &mdash\; while advancing sustainable growth and opportunity for her peo ple. She believes that decisions made today should positively impact peopl e for generations to come.
\nIn addition to her Tribal leadership\, Tracy serves as a field coordinator for The Ford Family Foundation\, where she builds partnerships among Tribal nations\, rural communities\, and ph ilanthropic organizations. She is widely recognized for her ability to bri ng people together\, foster trust\, and advocate for solutions that create lasting\, meaningful change.
\nAbove all\, Tracy remains grounded i n her identity as a Burns Paiute woman\, mother\, grandmother\, and leader &mdash\; working today to ensure a stronger\, healthier future for our ch ildren and their children.
\n
Willa Powless: \;Willa Powless is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes (Klamath\, Modoc\, and Yahooskin Pa iute)\, an Indigenous grandmother\, Tribal Council member\, and founder an d co-director of Honor the Treaty of 1864. She advocates for Indigenous hi story\, treaty rights\, shared stewardship\, and Land Back efforts grounde d in responsibility to land and community. \; \;
\n
About the Book: \;<
/strong>
Supersonic \;charts the rise of a boomtown city
in the American West where ambition outpaces memory. In the present day\,
PTA president Sami Hasegawa-Stalworth is determined to rename her daughte
r&rsquo\;s elementary school after her late grandmother&mdash\;a beloved m
usic teacher and Japanese internment survivor. What begins as a symbolic f
amily gesture spirals into a kaleidoscopic\, multi-generational story of s
truggle&mdash\;for and against change\, and over who gets to define the fu
ture. \;
\;
Through interwoven lives&mdash\;an opioid-a
ddicted 19th-century conman\, a disgraced Navy seaman building a jet that
will fly faster than sound\, a stay-at-home dad turned weed entrepreneur\,
and a family haunted by the ghosts of progress&mdash\;Supersonic
reveals how each era tries to remake the same ground beneath its feet. At
once intimate and panoramic\, the story channels the restless energy that
propels the West. \;
\;
About the Author:
\;
Thomas Kohnstamm was born and raised in Seattle. He still
lives in the same house he grew up in&mdash\;now with his wife and two ch
ildren. \;A freelance writer for over twenty years\, \;he&rsquo\;s
\;been a Spanish &\; Portuguese translator\, travel writer\, video
&\; animation producer and has covered subjects ranging from rainfores
t conservation to quantum computing to backcountry skiing. \;Super
sonic \;is his third book. \;
Learn more abo ut A Novel Idea \;
\nQuestions? Contact lizg@deschuteslibrary.org \;
\nhttps://dpl.libnet.i nfo/event/15853203 URL;VALUE=URI:https://dpl.libnet.info/event/15853203 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/dpl/Central_Oregon_s_Neigh bor_Nations_Liz_.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR