Tag: History

Creation Myths and Science Fiction: The Human Urge to Structure the Unknowable

Presenter: Hayden Stewart – History

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Andrea Goering

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Comics, Classics and Analysis

In his introduction to “Sun Songs: Creation Myths from Around the World,” Raymond Von Over writes, “The myths of ancient mankind attempted to resolve such profound and confusing questions, and therefore when reading myths we experience not so much an emotional insight as a sensation of watching something marvelous grow in the mind of early mankind.” It is my belief that science fiction, in its most scientific and cerebral form, is the evolution of the creation myth. A story that symbolizes the question of “where are we going?” rather than “from where did we come?” It is that same growth of something marvelous growing in our minds, but now instead of then. My presentation includes a story that I wrote. It takes place during the Heat Death of the Universe, on the final abode of humankind. It is meant to be a meditation on how far away storytelling can take us, and what it can show us capable of achieving. Much like how the creation myths of our past told of what was before us, and how and why we came to be, this story aims to tell what will come after us, how, and why we should care about so distant a future. Along with the aforementioned text by Raymond Von Over and the myths it contains, I’ll be drawing from works by Isaac Asimov and Ursula K. Le Guin, and consensus timelines of the eventual fate of the universe. It’s my hope that this collection of ideas can add to the conversation of the importance of art for human self-conception and scientific/philosophical progress.

The Lack of Change Throughout Incan Religion Before and After Spanish Conquest

Presenter: Zoë McKeehan – History

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Brendan O’Kelly

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

The impact of colonialism was felt across all of South America; an intriguing case study is the Spanish conquest of the Incan people. Since Incan religion heavily influenced their political structure, the Incas were always ruled by a monarchy with divine right (Sapa Inca/King of Spain). They were allowed, to a certain extent, to maintain their own religious beliefs and gods while being converted to a different religion. For these reasons, it can be argued that there were effectively no major changes made to the Incan religion before or after the Spanish conquest.

The recent history of PCUN and the victories of farmworkers in Oregon

Presenter: Odalis Aguilar Aguilar − History, Latin American Studies, Spanish

Faculty Mentor(s): Julie Weise

(In-Person) Poster Presentation 

For this project, I was approached by PCUN’s executive director to document the last few years of the history of the organization. About 10 years ago, a professor from the University of Oregon partnered up with the organization and since then, historic victories have been secured for the farm working and Latinx immigrant community. My approach was to analyze the ways in which organizers and staff retell their experiences working in legislative processes and also expand on what PCUN is and how they carry its mission. These interviews were done in both English and Spanish and are transcribed. While being in conversation with the folks I interviewed, I found that there was a turning point in PCUN’s recent history that really catapulted their success and put PCUN on another playing field where usually dominant culture organizations are overwhelmingly present. This project not only serves as a historical piece, but it also strives to provide new and coming PCUN staff a document that can ground them and visualize themselves as leaders who will continue the legacy of PCUN elders.

A True Northern Paiute Hero: An Analysis of Chief Egan and his Leadership in the Bannock-Paiute War of 1878

Presenter: Kevin Lai

Mentors: Kevin Hatfield, History; Jennifer O’Neal, Special Collections

Poster: 40

Major: Biology

This research paper examines the circumstances surrounding Northern Paiute Chief Egan’s rise to prominence and his heroic depiction leading up to the Bannock-Paiute War of 1878. I argue that despite his Cayuse ancestry, Chief Egan’s wisdom, loyalty, and bravery made him the prime choice to act as leader over the course of the rebellion against Agent William Rinehart and the U.S. government at the Malheur Reservation. Additionally, this paper demonstrates that although Egan knew such a battle against the Americans would surely end in defeat, he decided to take such a gamble solely to give his people another chance at survival–proof of his devotion to the Northern Paiute culture. The paper is based on examination of a wide range of primary sources including letters, hearings, governmental reports, and oral history from community members, to evaluate both tribal and non-tribal perceptions of Chief Egan not only as a member of the Paiutes but as an individual. Battle records were examined to assess Chief Egan’s prowess as a capable war leader. This research helps to redefine what it means to truly be part of a Native American tribe, by blood or acculturation, in addition to contributing original research concerning Northern Paiute cultural identity, loyalty, and responsibility.

Hidden Hunters: The Little-Known Native Soldiers that Changed Warfare in the West

Presenter: Tyler Jorgensen

Mentors: Kevin Hatfield, History and Jennifer O’Neal, Special Collections

Poster: 34

Major: Mathematics 

My research concerns the Native scouts involved in the Snake War who were hired by the United States Army to hunt Northern Paiutes. Why would these native scouts want to hunt down other native people? Why would they join sides with the government which, at the time, was surging into native lands and seizing territory? This paper asserts that the answers to these questions can be grouped into three categories: money, power, and hatred, my essay will argue that these three factors are what drew the scouts to the American side. One example of a significant primary source I will use is William McKay’s journal. William McKay was the commanding officer over a force of Warm Springs scouts hired to hunt down Northern Paiutes. In addition to primary sources, I will attain information from secondary sources to provide background information for my essay, as well as display evidence to explain why these scouts fought.

For instance, I had the opportunity to ask tribal elders Wilson Wewa and Myra Johnson what they believe made the native scouts want to side with the U.S. government. They provided me with vital information and several avenues of research for my topic. My research will conclude that the incentives I identified for scouts to work with the U.S. Military far outweighed any of the complications. It is my hope that my research can fulfill a gap of knowledge on the subject and allow other scholars to see a new perspective of the conflict.

Who Was Chief Paulina? Restoration History and the Reconstruction of Paulina’s Identity in Popular Memory

Presenter: Sarianne Harris

Mentors: Kevin Hatfield, History; Jennifer O’Neal, Special Collections

Poster: 28

Major: Human Physiology

This paper examines the life of Chief Paulina, a Northern Paiute of the Hunipuitoka band, beginning at the time of major conflicts caused by the creation of the Warm Springs Reservation within Central Oregon in 1855 and ending around the time of his death in 1867.Chief Paulina, throughout his life and in popular memory, has been demonized and distorted into a bullet-proof, blood-thirsty, violent war leader who cared for little but the thrill of raiding. I argue that Chief Paulina was, instead, a skilled leader who cared for his people and fought bitterly to protect his homeland. He made necessary decisions, based on the information and resources he had at his disposal, to care for his people and keep their land. I utilize secondary, but focus on primary, resources as I examine the Northern Paiute view of the Warm Springs Reservation, interactions between Chief Paulina and Captain Kelly of Fort Klamath, and Chief Paulina’s behavior regarding the capture of his people. These areas of focus reveal a more complete view of the person behind the legend than the portrayals of Chief Paulina found in history books, Oregon museums, and local histories.

The Empire’s New Clothes: The Establishment Of Social Sciences in Post-War Academia and Its Implication For British Colonial Policy

Presenter(s): Caroline Richelsen − History, Political Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Ian McNeely

Oral Session 3SW

Research Area: Social Science, History

In the aftermath of the Second World War, universities in Britain were tapped as a potential training ground for the next generation of experts who could support the British Empire, as it transitioned from a Great Power to a decolonized state.
This project seeks to examine the possible correlation between changes in British foreign policy and development in higher education; analyzing how the demands of the British Empire informed the curriculum and direction of new disciplines in British Universities. To do so, this project uses SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), of the University of London, as a case study to showcase the interaction between the political agenda of the British government and the institution itself. In terms of formatting, the findings will be presented in an essay estimated around 70 to 80 pages, excluding a reference list and infographics, and relies on the consultation of primary sources such as government reports, financial- and personal accounts. Early findings have confirmed a direct correlation between the development of new departments and the needs of the state, as the transition from the post-war environment to the Cold War created a demand for experts well-versed in Oriental and East European languages and culture. The subject of this inquiry is of value because it illustrates how certain academic traditions are rooted in the political ambitions of states seeking to use knowledge to impose their worldviews on overseas territories; creating disciplines with predetermined biases which remain prevalent in institutions today.

William Morris as Collector: Analyzing Two Volumes in the Special Collections University Archives

Presenter(s): Sadie Kavalier − Accounting

Faculty Mentor(s): Vera Keller

Oral Session 3SW

Research Area: History

William Morris wore many hats: publisher, socialist advocate, craftsman, poet. However, Morris’ private library remains one of the most understudied aspects of his illustrious career. We hold two volumes from his own library in our SCUA collection, which spawned this research into the driving factors behind his choice of books for his personal collection. Through an analysis of both these volumes and those that Morris printed himself at the Kelmscott Press, I have taken a holistic approach to analyzing these copies for their content, typography, and imagery. Further analysis revealed that the type of these books
is similar with Morris’ gothic preferences and that the main reason for his purchase of them was an affinity for the style of their respective publishers, Wynkyn de Worde and Johannes Mentelin. This research offers a glimpse into the mind of William Morris as collector and helps illuminate the preferences that drove the selection of his private library.

Russia’s Experiment in Scouting: 1909-1922 

Presenter(s): John Dechert − Mathematics, Reees

Faculty Mentor(s): Julie Hessler

Oral Session 3SW

Research Area: History

In 1909, Oleg Ivanovich Pantyukhoff, a colonel in the Russian army who was inspired by Robert Baden-Powell’s scouting program in Great Britain, founded the Russian wing of the worldwide scouting movement, known as the “Razvyedchiki” in Russian, and would lead the program to great successes within pre-revolutionary Russian society. Pantyukhoff and many of his scouts left memoirs of their involvement with the scouting movement, which provide a unique and personal perspective into the dealings of the movement. Additionally, Soviet leaders spoke of the scouting movement, and its counter-revolutionary flavor, frequently, and provide another interesting perspective into the movement’s history. Scouting, however, was not
an activity born in isolation. During the late 19th and early 20th century, Russia underwent a fundamental shift in policies and priorities as a result of modernization, liberalism, and nationalism, and the Russian people bought wholesale into the trappings of “civil society.” They formed men’s and women’s groups, charity organizations, book clubs, literary societies, and the like. The study of Russian civil society before the World War I has been of growing interest to Russian historians since the fall of the Soviet Union, and studies of pre-war organizations are ever rising in number. Unfortunately, the Russian scouting movement has been left out of this general trend. The purpose of this study is to bridge that gap and contribute to the body of knowledge by examining the course of Russian scouting during the turbulent years of World War I, the Russian Revolution and Civil War, and how the scouting movement fit in to Russian civil society.

The World War II Correspondence of Billy and Bonnie Amend

Presenter(s): Will Curtis − History

Faculty Mentor(s): Alexander Dracobly, Julie Hessler

Poster 119

Research Area: History

For just short of three years, from June 1942 to August 1945, my great-grandparents, newlyweds Billy and Bonnie Amend, did not see each other or hear one another’s voice. Billy was a Major in the 190th Field Artillery, stationed in England until the Allied invasion of Western Europe on June 6, 1944. During the years he was gone, the Amends communicated exclusively through letters. They each wrote almost one a day for the duration of the war. My thesis examines just one year of this correspondence, 1944, during which Billy saw some of the most violent combat of the war, including the Battle of the Bulge. Meanwhile, Bonnie was left to struggle through daily life and care for my grandmother back home in Hugo, Oklahoma. Through examination and careful reading of just over one thousand pages of their original letters, my thesis evaluates how the Amends persisted through World War II and how the letters they exchanged helped them to do so. Primarily, the letters served to maintain the bond between Billy and Bonnie. While they spent ink discussing the war itself, the letters are largely dedicated to summaries of day-to-day life, and expressions of each other’s desire to finally be together again. However far apart they were and however much danger Bonnie imagined Billy to be in, the letters they wrote back and forth seemed to lessen their separation, and mitigate some of that danger. Though my thesis only examines the correspondence of Billy and Bonnie, their experience was one had by millions of Americans during the war. They provide a direct account of was on the minds of families separated by the deadliest war the world has ever known, and detail just how they were able to come out on the other side.