Chee-la (hello), I am Jake DePoe, Tututni Siletz cultural Oregon writer, speaker, artist, & indigenous led non-profit board vice chair for NAIC.
Xaa-wan’-t’i (Welcome) to Oregon Intersections! Here you will find the historical, anthropological, poetic & creative writing of myself, Tututni Dené of T’ceme (ocean village) & Siletz Tribal member, Jake DePoe. These articles are all found at the deepest intersections of this Oregon land, it’s peoples, and our stories as it has built the fabric of Oregon today. I write to preserve & promote the erased and forgotten pieces, the vital strands of this lands story torn out by colonialism, racism, bigotry and all the rest. As my family has been deeply affected generationally by these systems of oppression in Oregon, I write, create, and speak to remember their story.
Latest Articles
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- “A Flicker on My Breast”I wrote this poem after attending the opening reception of “My Father’s Father’s Sister, Our Ancestor Shimkhin”, at Chachalu Museum, Grand Ronde. °•°•° That little spirit Frog that whispers…More
- “Zigzags”°•°•° Lightening strikes my eyes,Thunder in my ears,Zigzags of arrow light,Shot from Creator’s bow.More
- “When Toasted Bread Became a Luxury”°•°•° I toast my white bread,One slice at a time,Waiting,Wanting,Needing,That simplest of life’s now luxuries,A quiet moment of anticipation,The smell of cooked flour,No notes of yeast,On my 50 cent bargain…More
- “Hunger, I Do Not Know Thee”°•°•° A little tummy rumbles,I had hot dogs yesterday,A balogna sandwich the day before,Ooooo they were good,Could sure go for even a slice of balogna,Salty slices of hog’s noses and…More
- “Destiny, Baby”°•°•° I have shed so many anguished,Joyous tears,Revelations of the spirit,Of Jazz,On the cross-roads of brownness,In the villages of my ancestors,I am pushed forth,Like a canoe into a raging sea…More
- “Street Girls”(An Historic Film Review) [Filmed in Eugene, Winter of 1972. Released in 1975.] . . . A surprisingly bold statement on feminism, black identity, lesbian love, queerness, and transgender on-screen…More
- Creation Stories of the Renewal PeoplesThis is merely a collection of 25 stories from our Dee-ni world concerning creation and the time before the great spirits passed dominion of this land onto us. I have…More
- “What about my hat, Sister?”This is a poem of sorts, telling a true story of a DePoe indian boy’s catholic boarding school experience that frankly is too difficult and personal for me to write…More
- “How to Tame the Tiger When You’re Indian”°•°•° All it takes to tame a tiger, is a tone of terrible truth, Through teeth & claw my words bite hard, a consequence of manner, That future is the…More
- “The Little People in the Pacific Northwest”V.1 °•°•° The first time I met a little person, I was about 19 and camped on the Wynoochee river near the coast of Washington. Myself and a friend had…More
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Oregon Intersections in History & Modern Culture 