Lecture Series Marks Anniversary of Northwest Indian Treaty Negotiations

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Washington State University Vancouver will host part two of the Northwest Indian Treaty Negotiations Lecture featuring Lewis and Clark professor of law Robert Miller on Feb. 16.

The lecture is set for 7-9 p.m. in the Student Services Building, Room 110. Miller will discuss “American Indian Legal and Political Encounters.” The event is free and open to the public.

An associate professor at Lewis and Clark Law School, Miller is also chief justice of the Court of Appeals for the Grand Ronde Tribe. He has published numerous articles on American Indian law issues and has spoken at dozens of conferences across the country.  Miller is currently writing and speaking about the Lewis & Clark Expedition and is a member of the Circle of Tribal Advisors to the National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial. He is a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.

2005 marks the 150^th anniversary of the Northwest Indian Treaty negotiations between Territorial Gov. Isaac Stevens and Northwest Indian leaders that helped determine the future of tribal people throughout the Northwest. By the terms of the treaties, thousands of native people ceded millions of acres of their traditional homelands. The treaties have been viewed variously as an unfair imposition on American Indians and as a basic document protecting their rights. 

A traveling exhibit and lecture series will give residents of Portland and Southwest Washington a chance to learn more about events that profoundly shaped the Northwest. The lecture series offers contemporary native perspectives on the topic from a variety of disciplines, including legal, literary and poetic.

The series is co-sponsored by the WSU Vancouver Liberal Arts department, WSU Vancouver Diversity Council, and the Center for Columbia River History.

WSU Vancouver offers 15 bachelor’s degrees and eight master’s degrees in more than 35 fields of study. The campus is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134^th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. Parking is available for $1.75 in the blue lot or at parking meters.