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Angela Morrill, Ethnic Studies

Brian Klopotek, Mentor
Katya Hokanson, Mentor

Since General Canby Died: An Autoethnography of a Native American Family

My paper is an autoethnography, and is a response to the ethnohistories written about the Modocs and the Modoc War of 1872-73 mostly by white scholars. I attempt to answer the previously unasked question of what happened after the war to a certain family of descendents of Captain Jack, also known as Kientpaush. The main themes are identity formation, including the question of blood quantum in Indian country, urban Indian space as an authentic Indian space, and historical trauma as well as termination. Specifically I discuss stories my mother told me about our family and my own experiences growing up Indian in Portland, Oregon. My project is ongoing and I hope to contribute to discourse that disrupts ideas of authenticity.