This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we turned our attention close to home—to the Indigenous peoples whose histories, cultures, and relationships with the Rogue Valley long predate our own. Through stories drawn directly from the websites and voices of local Tribal nations, different readers shared the histories of the peoples who have called this valley home.

We remembered the Takelma, Shasta, Latgawa, Tututni, and other peoples whose lives and communities were profoundly affected by colonization, removal, and broken treaties. But this service did not tell their stories as something confined to the past. We also honored their resilience, cultural traditions, continuing presence, and living legacies.

Together, we listened, remembered, and considered what it means for us to live in this place—and how we might do so with greater understanding, respect, and right relationship.