Oral history interviews with Ed Davis

Oral history interviews with Ed Davis, 1969-1972

Overview of the Collection

Creator

Davis, Ed, 1880?-1987

Title

Oral history interviews with Ed Davis

Dates

1969-1972 (inclusive)

Quantity

1.12 cubic feet (6 boxes)

Collection Number

5845 (Accession No. 5845-001)

Summary

Oral history interviews conducted by Jack Chisholm as he asked Snoqualmie Tribal Elder Ed Davis about his tribal affiliation and experiences.

Repository

University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu

Access Restrictions

Open to all users for onsite use only. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Donated material consists of original audio cassettes that have been digitized and transcripts available in print and electonic file (PDFs). WAV files are available on the Virtual Vault for use access. Sound recordings and transcripts are available onsite in the reading room, no duplication allowed, no remote access. The original analog recordings cannot be played due to preservation concerns.

Languages

English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Ed Davis, originally known as Sulz-ached, was born c. 1880. He began work in the woods when he was 5 years old, and continued to work at logging jobs until he was 83. Davis was ordained as an Indian Shaker minister in 1913, and served both the Snoqualmie and Tulalip Shaker churches for seventy-five years. In 1956, following the death of Jerry Kanmin, Davis was designated as the honorary chief of the Snoqualmie tribe and as the tribe's conscience and spiritual leader. Davis was a leader in the effort to regain tribal status from the federal government, although he did not live to see this happen. He died at age 108 in May 1987, and is buried in Fall City, Washington.

Jack Chisholm was born on June 24, 1904 to Lulan Royle and John James Chisholm. He was married to Irene Whitfield. He died on February 28, 1988 in Fall City, Washington.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection includes cassette tapes of oral history interviews as well as print and electronic transcriptions of these interviews. Recorded primarily between 1969 and 1972, these interviews were conducted by Jack Chisholm as he asked Snoqualmie Tribal Elder Ed Davis about the past. Recording sessions were held in a truck or diner or other informal settings. Cassette tapes were obtained decades later by Dick and Kris Kirby who spearheaded a project to digitize and transcribe the interviews. The cassette tapes were unnumbered and undated, resulting in the loss of any obvious chronological sequence. Transcriptions aid in access. Subjects covered in the interviews include tribal fishing rights and fishing methods, Indian rights and US Government/Indian relations, reservations, logging and river driving, mills, the Indian Shaker Church, tribe enrollment and membership, and many reminiscences of people, places, and events. Tribes mentioned include Snoqualmie, Skokomish, Skykomish, Snohomish, and more.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

The contents of the collection have been digitized and are available on the Special Collections Reading Room Virtual Vault. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Restrictions on Use

No copying or publication permitted.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Dick and Kris Kirby, 2014-03-25

Preservation Note

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: IndexReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
electronic_file
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Index & Spelling for Ed Davis oral histories	June 09, 2014
Box
1	Index & Spelling for Ed Davis oral histories	June 09, 2014

Series 2: InterviewsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
electronic_file
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 1 Tribal fishing and hunting rights, Indian and U.S. government relations, land claims and ownership, mills at Snoqualmie Falls, logging, and Ed Davis' education, employment, and family	November 6, 1979
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 2 Logging, mills, and Ed Davis's family history	November 9, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 3 Chairman election and council politics, and logging for the Pacific Coast Company	November 10, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 4 Indian and U.S. government relations, reservations and settlements, and the Indian Shaker Church	November 11, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 5 Ed Davis's employment history, including logging and logging camps	November 12, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 6 Salmon fishing (gill net, bag fishing, etc.), steelheads (planting in different creeks), discussion about how tribes should work together to achieve their objectives rather than separating themselves	November 16, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 7 Discussion about treaties with Governor Stevens, Chief Seattle, and reservations; transfer and sale of Indian lands; Lake Washington and rivers (including Green, Duwamish, and Sky rivers), discussion about people and their relationships, homes, and jobs	November 17, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 8 Jack Chisholm's family, car troubles with Fred Allen, Indian Shaker Church, fishing (smelt and salmon), and animals (deer, bear, and beaver trapping)	November 30, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 9 Food preparation (drying, salting, and smoking), pole cutting, logging at Vaughan Hill, and skid roads	December 1, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 10 Indian custom marriage, land ownership, religion (Indian Shaker and others), and discussion about Indian history (Governor Stevens, treaties, and longhouses)	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 11 Discussion about Al Williams's funeral and the Indian Shaker Church	December 22, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 12 Logging, salmon, and the Indian Shaker church	December 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 13 Discussion about land sales, followed by an Indian Shaker church sermon	February 13, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 14 Religious ceremony, including a sermon by Ed Davis	February 13, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 15 Discussion about the Indian Shaker Church, including land claims, difficulties with the Full Gospel Church, construction of the church, the 1910 Corporation, and other history	February 14, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 16 Stories about different people, including Ralph Phillips and family, Bill Pete, and Ed Davis's ancestry	February 25, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 17 Discussion about a shingle mill and people who worked there, logging, and stories about different places including Tradition Lake and a rock mountain near Duvall	March 11, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 18 Religious ceremony with chanting, ringing bells, and singing	March 13, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 19 Discussion about the church at Muckleshoot, building the church, and three different types of Shakers (Full Gospels, Independents, and Annie Lee)	March 15, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 20 Discussion about buying a chain saw and filling out a form	March 15, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 21 Fishing and salmon bakes, Ed Davis's appeal dismissal re: his enrollment to share in Duwamish judgment funds, discussion of Davis's ancestry, the Duwamish tribe, and Snoqualmie tribe organization	April 1, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 22 Discussion of church and religion	April 10, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 23 The Moses family in Renton, fishing and fish traps, and the Indian Shaker Church	April 10, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 24 Discussion about different people and their families	March 31, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 25 Indian Shaker Church ceremony, followed by a discussion about the church and different people	March 31, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 26 Spearing salmon, logging, Indian doctors and medicine men, and an Indian Shaker Church ceremony led by Ed Davis	February 9, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 27 Indian Shaker Church event, salmon, treaty rights, gun laws, and exploitation of reservation land	March 13, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 28 Discussion of songs during the Sunday service, commercial fishing/sale of salmon on reservations, and steelhead fishing	April 15, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 29 Animal trapping and hunting, land in Suiattle and Darrington, reservations and registering other land, and work in a silica/talc mine	March 13, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 30 Discussion about a foster care case and that family's difficulties	December 18, 197?
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 31 Choir practice for a Christmas service, Indian rights and how different tribes manage their affairs, specifics of treaty rights (including clam digging and the trade and sale of fish and fur)	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 32 Longhouse on Lake Sammamish, discussion with a woman about Indian words for different creeks and animals, and Indian stories (including one about Mt. Si)	August 10, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 33 Snoqualmie River and various creeks, and the Indian names for them	March 26, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 34 Discussion about a family's difficulties, Jack Chisholm's jobs and Indian/U.S. Government relations	March 26, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 35 Phone conversation about Snoqualmie Indian concerns about blasting at Mt. Si, actions they need to take to prevent it, and Snoqualmie history	August 15, 197?
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 36 Logging and shingle mills, Indian Shaker Church and other religions, Indian Shaker incorporation papers, and Indian legends	November 5, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 37 Stories about animals, Tradition Lake, and Joy Lake	August 10, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 38 Brief discussion about Ed Davis's family and friends, followed by a presentation about teaching math	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 39 Ed Davis's will and real estate transactions	November 5, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 40 Indian stories, Indian rights and mining rights, salmon and rivers, and an interview with Martha about words in her language and her memories from childhood	August 14, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 41 Discussion about where homes and mills were located along an unidentified lake, road signs and speed limits, and Ed Davis's Snoqualmie and Duwamish ancestry	April 2, 197?
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 42 Education of Indian children and the pros and cons of public and Indian schools, different roads near Preston and Issaquah, Indian medicine and health care, Cushman Hospital, Indian languages, and logging	November 20, 1970
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 43 Discussion about different people, marital troubles, and alcoholism	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 44 Marital and custody troubles, reservations and schools, the Indian Shaker Church and missionaries, and traveling to Victoria	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 45 Drying and smoking fish, hunting, the Snoqualmie claims deal case, discussion about how people traveled in the past, preparations for the Mt. Si court case and protecting Mt. Si	August 15, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 46 Discussion about paying taxes or exemption of land for the church	October 8, 1974
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 47 Discussion about images in a slide show from a woman's trip to Scotland, different people and their health, huckleberries and berry picking, and church ministers and missionaries	August 14, 1976
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 48 Mud Bay and longhouses at Lake Sammamish and Neah Bay	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 49 Indian Shaker Church sermon	April 12, 1974
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 50 Singing and drumming, prayer, and conversation about how young people can perform the songs and dances but do not know their meaning	August 18, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 51 Discussion about the significance of Mt. Si in mythology and the ongoing controversy with quarrying, what Indians were promised in Governor Stevens's treaty compared to what they actually received, Indian ideas of land ownership before white settlers, and Indian land rights	August 15, 197?
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 52 Pacific Northwest history (including Governor Stevens, Indian land title, the five nations in Western Washington, Indian land, and the Wheeler-Howard Act), buying land and how to get land for the Snoqualmie, discussion about how the Snoqualmie tribe was not recognized by the state and nominations for a committee to work on the tribe's reorganization, and gillnet fishing	1972
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 53 Indian Shaker Church service and discussion about a building proposal for the Lower Snoqualmie Valley	September 10, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 54 Proceedings from the Indian Council, including discussion about hunting and fishing according to the treaty, history of the treaty and action taken on it, the Northwest Federation of American Indians, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Congress of American Indians	August 31, 1968
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 55 Proceedings from the Indian Council, including discussion about various claims, including claims to fishing rights, and compensation for lands ceded under the Treaty of Port Elliott	August 31, 1968
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 56 Indian Shaker Church service and prayers, Indian stories, and history including a discussion about gold mining and relations with the British	August 8, 1974
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 57 Fishing in different rivers and streams, the Bible, ancient civilizations, prayers, history of the Fraser River area and the gold rush, and the Indian Shaker Church	June 9, 1974
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 58 Indian Shaker Church service	November 13, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 59 Indian words for place and river names, colors, and animals and the creation of an Indian language dictionary, and discussion about Indian Shaker Church services and fellowship meetings for different churches	August 7, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 60 Indian Shaker Church service and discussion about different people who had been at the service	November 13, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 61 Discussion about obtaining forty acres of Tulalip land for a Snoqualmie village, driving around Washington, and spinning wool	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 62 Discussion about church, school, and other activities on the Muckleshoot reservation	August 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 63 Indian Shaker Church service	September 9, 1969
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 64 Talk about people in foster care and on welfare	December 6, 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 65 Indian Shaker Church service	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 66 Indian Shaker Church service	Easter 1971
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 67 Salmon runs, different types of salmon, salmon drying, rivers and canals	August 26, 1973
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 68 No transcript: note on tape says audio is not good	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 69 Locations of strawberry and raspberry fields, camps, logging, Indian Shaker Church service, and discussion about Shakers and the Full Gospel Shakers	undated
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 70 No transcript: Lola Belle Holmes speaking at North Bend	May 16, 1967
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Interview 71 No transcript: Julia Brown speech and questions	November 30, 1967

Series 3: TranscriptsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description
electronic_file
Reading Room Virtual Vault	Transcripts for interview 1-71
Box
1	Transcripts for interviews 1-33
2	Transcripts for interviews 34-71

Series 4: Sound cassette recordings of interviewsReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description
Box
4	Interview cassettes 1-18
5	Interview cassettes 19-36
6	Interview cassettes 37-55
3	Interview cassettes 56-71

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Indian reservations--Northwest, Pacific
Indians of North America--Fishing--Law and legislation--Northwest, Pacific
Indians of North America--Fishing--Northwest, Pacific
Indians of North America--Northwest, Pacific--Government relations
Indians of North America--Northwest, Pacific--Religion
Indians of North America--Northwest, Pacific--Social life and customs
Indians of North America--Treaties
Logging--Northwest, Pacific
Lumbermen--Northwest, Pacific--Interviews
Pacific salmon fishing--Northwest, Pacific
Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
Skokomish Indians
Snohomish Indians
Snoqualmie Indians
Snoqualmie Indians--Interviews

Personal Names

Davis, Ed, 1880?-1987--Archives
Davis, Ed, 1880?-1987--Interviews

Other Creators

Personal Names
- Chisholm, Jack, 1904-1988 (interviewer)

Archives West Finding Aid

Table of Contents