Hundreds of years of history, more than four decades of interviews, and five years of curating have gone into composing “The Strong People: A History of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.”
The book features historical essays, personal accounts, and photos from primary sources and was written in collaboration with S’Klallam elders, community leaders and historians.
To celebrate the release of “The Strong People,” the Tribe will host a celebration on Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m. in the Longhouse at the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal Center. The event is open to the public and will feature readings by book contributors Ron Charles, Gina Stevens and Ted George.
The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, originally known as the Nux Sklai Yem or Strong People, are descendants of the Salish people who have been well-established in the Puget Sound basin and surrounding areas since 2400 B.C.
“The Strong People” covers the S’Klallam’s migration to Port Gamble Bay, their interactions with the first white settlers to the area, and how life changed after the construction of a lumber mill on their ancestral grounds.
The book also looks at the values and culture of the Port Gamble S’Klallam people, including their unique connection to the natural world, devotion to family, commitment to education, and focus on maintaining their culture and traditions in a changing world.
Displaced from their home to make way for industry, the Port Gamble S’Klallam — through the strength, determination, and wisdom of their ancestors — survived the challenges that threatened their way of life. “The Strong People” is their story.
“As we wrote this book, as we took time to examine our tribe’s history, it became crystal clear that today’s tribal members can look back with pride, knowing that the treaty rights we enjoy, the right to live on these beautiful lands on Port Gamble Bay, and our very right to exist as a tribe are all benefits that we possess today because of the actions taken years ago by our S’Klallam ancestors,” Charles wrote in the book’s introduction.
“The Strong People: A History of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe” is now available for $16.99 through the Tribe, and will be making its way to local retailers soon. To purchase a copy, contact Sharon Purser at (360) 297-6276 or email at sharonp@pgst.nsn.us. Individual copies can also be ordered at www.pgst.nsn.us/strongpeople.
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West Sound Reads, a collaboration between the Kitsap Regional Library system and area independent bookstores, is hosting presentations by three authors of books for young readers.
Tacoma’s best-selling Marissa Meyer and Seattle’s Lish McBride will read from their most recent books March 5, 6:30 p.m., at the Poulsbo library, 700 NE Lincoln Road, Poulsbo.
Meyer’s latest, “Scarlet,” is the sequel to her blockbuster “Cinder” and the second in her Lunar Chronicle series. Both books use fairy tales — Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood — as starting points for terrific reads set in a dystopian future.
In “Scarlet,” title character Scarlet Benoit and Wolf, a street fighter who may have information about her missing grandmother, join forces with the cyborg Cinder as they try to stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.
Publisher’s Weekly writes: “Returning fans of Meyer’s ‘Cinder’ will gladly sink their teeth into this ambitious, wholly satisfying sequel.”
McBride’s “Necromancing the Stone” is a follow-up to her award-winning debut novel “Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.” With witty dialogue and a wicked sense of humor, McBride’s stories have been described as Mad magazine meets “Twilight.”
Kirkus Reviews writes: “A slacker wrangles zombies, werewolves, gnomes and gods in this amiable second entry in a humor-horror mash-up series … Sam’s marvelously witty, self-deprecating narration carries readers along effortlessly to the very end.”
This event is free and open to the public. Readers who buy copies of either books at Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo and Eagle Harbor Book Company on Bainbridge Island will be seated in the reserved section.
West Sound Reads presents “Warrior” series author Erin Hunter on March 12, 6:30 p.m. at the Bainbridge Cinemas at the Pavilion, 403 Madison Ave. N, Bainbridge Island.
Hunter is actually four writers who chose a single pseudonym to avoid confusing readers of the series for middle-readers (ages 8-12). Hunter began this popular series in 2003 and has produced five series, six “super editions,” field guides, and a manga series.
The most recent novel in the series is “Warrior: Dawn of the Clans: The Sun Trail.”
This event is free and open to the public. Because seating is limited, customers who receive tickets at Eagle Harbor Book Company or Liberty Bay Books will be seated first. Tickets will be issued to customers who buy “The Sun Trail” from either book store. Books (and tickets) will be available at the stores or on their websites. Customers can pre-order the book, which is due out March 5.
This will be Hunter’s only regional appearance. It’s not known which “Hunter” will attend.
