An Abstract of the Thesis Of
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Tamara S. Gann for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology presented on March 5, 2021. Title: The Yellow House: Stories of Space, Place and Community Abstract approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Joan Gross Natchee Barnd Abstract This thesis is an IRB-exempt oral history focused on the non-profit Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center (CMLC) in Corvallis, Oregon. The CMLC, formerly on 9th Street, was known to many community members as the Yellow House. The Yellow House was a dedicated community-based space where people of all cultures could come together to learn and share in genuine conversation in a safe, supportive and welcoming environment. This oral history project attempts to bring together the voices and stories of the Yellow House demolished in the fall of 2018. These stories also encompass the lives of women within organizations that shared collaborative space with the CMLC; Casa Latinos Unidos, Organización de Latinas Unidas, Alma Latina and Fiesta Mexicana 4-H Club. The nature of this shared community space and the stories that unfolded within its walls offer a unique glimpse into the power of participatory spaces primarily for women. ©Copyright by Tamara S. Gann March 5, 2021 All Rights Reserved The Yellow House: Stories of Space, Place and Community by Tamara S. Gann A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Presented March 5, 2021 Commencement June 2021 Master of Arts thesis of Tamara S. Gann presented on March 5, 2021. APPROVED: Co-Major Professor, representing Applied Anthropology ____________________________________________________________________ Co-Major Professor, representing Applied Anthropology Director of the School of Language, Culture, and Society Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Tamara S. Gann, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout this project, I received support and assistance from numerous people. First and foremost, I would like to thank the community of Yellow House women who shared their knowledge and time throughout this three-year project. I hope my thesis reveals your generous spirits and brings readers to a closer understanding of your space and practice. Estoy muy agradecido por el generosidad de esta comunidad. I want to thank my committee. I am grateful for your patience and thoughtful teaching, which has given this work the elegance and grace these women's stories deserve. Urmila Mali, Laurie Bridges and Drs. Natchee Barnd, Joan Gross, David Lewis and Marta Maldonado, thank you. In the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (COEAS), I'd like to thank instructor Lynette de Silva, Drs. Shireen Hyrapiet (formerly of COEAS), Rob Wheatcroft and Robert Kennedy, whose teachings encouraged moving between micro and macro views, a skill that was invaluable for this project. Also, a special thank you to Dr. Ellen Morris Bishop, her books on Oregon geology opened my mind to greater timescales than I could have ever reached on my own. In the School of Writing, Literature and Film, I would like to thank Jennifer Richter, Justin St. Germain and Dr. Karen Holmberg for encouraging me to take up the space of my page and for providing a place where I could explore, in miniature, ideas central to this thesis. In the College of Agricultural and Sciences, Dr. Margaret Mathewson and in the College of Public Health and Human Services, Dr. Chunhuei Chi, thank you for always encouraging me to drop into your classes for - extra learning. In the Educational Opportunities Program, a special thanks to Dr. Janet Nishihara, Urmila Mali, Kim McAloney and Marilyn Stewart. Marilyn, even though you are in CLA now, you are a part of my EOP memory. Thank you for being the strong, powerful, thoughtful women you are. I want to thank Barbara Ball of Disability Access Services. My journey would have been much more difficult without you. In the Valley Library, I would like to thank Hannah Rempel, who helped me bend Zotero into an oral history management system and in SMS, Hayden Wilcox for sharing his audio/digital expertise. In the Oregon Multicultural Archive, thank you, curator Natalia Fernández, for your mentorship, guidance and support. In the Graduate Writing Center, thank you to Rachel Polisher and Crystal Laine, who kept my pockets lined with small candies, and Chris Nelson for his kind words and support. To Dr. Adam Haley, thank you for being exactly who you are. Thank you for sharing your expertise and too, sharing your own graduate school experience. The latter helped me more fully engage and take ownership of my own. Mary Gallagher from the Benton County Historical Society, thank you for bringing your archive to life for me. Thank you, OSU Folk Club Thrift Shop Foundation and Altrusa International Club of Corvallis, for supporting non-traditional students. I hope that you will continue to invest in our futures. I would also like to thank Grand Ronde Department Manager & Tribal Historic Preservation Officer David Harrelson and Drs. Luhui Whitebear, David Lewis and Henry Zenk for increasing my knowledge and understanding of Champinefu, Grand Ronde and Eena Haws. To all the men and women who maintain this campus, some whose faces I recognize and the many I don’t, whether seen or unseen, thank you for making such a lovely place for us all to learn. Lastly, to all my chosen family, we have grown together like vines on a house in summer - blooms too many to count (After Nobel, 2019). Thank you for being in my life. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Tying on…...……..………………………………………………………………… 1 2 The Warp and Weft………………………………………………………………… 2 3 The Header…………………………………………………………………………24 4 Pattern Weave…...…………………………………………………………………32 5 Tying off and Finishing...……………………...………...……………………….147 6 Bibliography………………………………….…………………………..………175 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1 Family…………………………….……………………………………….………3 2.2 Here by David McGuire……………….……………………………..………….12 4.1 SOS Demo…………………………..……………………………………..…….34 4.2 Ellsworth-Erwin House………….………………………………………………35 4.3. The Yellow House……………..….…………………………………….………36 4.4. CMLC Logo…….…...………………………………………………………….36 4.5. Cheryle A. Kennedy………….………………………..………………………..37 4.6 Fiesta Mexican 4-H Club…………………………………………….…………..38 4.7 The Wilhamet River……..………………………………………………..……..39 4.8 Caroline Vogt…….……………………………………………………...………40 4.9 Casa Latinos Unidos de Benton County logo…………………………………...42 4.10 Typhoon Haiyan………………………………………………………………..43 4.11 Belen's home in the Philippines………………..…………………………….....44 4.12 Front Desk….……………………………………...………………….………..46 4.13 International Bazaar...………………………………………………………….47 4.14 Annual Garage Sale……………………….…………………………………...48 4.15 Wearing the World 2016……………………………………….……………....50 4.16 Yellow House in the Evening ………………………………….……………....53 4.17 Knitting Group…………………………………...…………….…..…….……..55 4.18 Thank you…...…………………………………...…………….…..….………..57 4.19 The Meadow…….....……………………………………….……….………….57 LIST OF FIGURES (Continued) Figure Page 4.20 Save the CMLC/Save the Sunflower House button………….…….…………..60 4.21 Maria González, TAAP Awardee………………………….......………………63 4.22 Tamara Musafija making Bosnian dishes...…………...……………………….64 4.23 Melinda Sayavedra and Maria Luque, Salsa cooking class ….………………..65 4.24 Marie Luque, Salsa cooking class…..………………………………………….65 4.25 Wetland delineation with Yellow House ….……....…………………………..66 4.26 Yellow House Kitchen………...……………………………..,………………..70 4.27 First Foods Celebration, Grand Ronde….………………………………….….72 4.28 The Yellow House kitchen, Chinese Desserts class…...……..………………..73 4.29 Wellness Warrior Camp, Grand Ronde………………………………………..75 4.30 The Yellow House, 2005 before restoration.……….………………………….77 4.31 The Yellow House upon opening, 2005…………....…………………………..77 4.32 Backstrap weaving, Guatemala…..……………………….……..…………….79 4.33 Tubing Drainage System………………………………….……..…………….81 4.34 William and Joe Hartless……………………..……….………………….……83 4.35 From the personal notes of Dee Curwen ….…………………………………..84 4.36 The Work of Manuel Garcia, Richard Keis..…………………………………..86 4.37 First Textile Exhibit, 2015………………………………………….………….87 4.38 Textile Exhibit, Yellow House, 2015………….………….………….………..87 4.39 The first Fashion Show, 2015………………………………………………….88 4.40 Summers Collection, Grand Ronde..…….……………………………….……89 LIST OF FIGURES (Continued) Figure Page 4.41 More Summer Collection, Grand Ronde…………………………………........90 4.42 Life in Art Be-Longing flyer……….…………………………………….…….90 4.43 Life in Art Be-Longing Reception……………………………………………...91 4.44 Sebastien Suarez, OLU Salsa Garden……………...…………………………..91 4.45 History and Culture Summit……………….…………….…………………….92 4.46 Immigrant Stories reception…..…………………...…………….……………..93 4.47 Immigrant Stories reception…..………………………………….…………….94 4.48 Samples from Musical Cultural Exploration kit ….…….……………………..96 4.49 Civil rights era fire hose nozzle, Cultural Exploration kits...………………….96 4.50 Sample Tea, Cultural Exploration kit….....…………...……………………….97 4.51 Spirit Mountain Community Fund……….………………..….………………..97 4.52 Sample Gourds and Calabashes Cultural Exploration kit...….…..…………….98 4.53 Eena Haws…………………………………………………………….………100 4.54 Drew Pennington and the Annual Salmon Bake…………………………..….101 4.55 Jeanne Lusignan and Ihui "Ivy" Snyder, textile exhibit "Head to Toe"………102 4.56 Cover of Singing Home CD……..…………………………………….………103