The Jefferson County Historical Society’s First Friday Lecture series will begin Feb. 1 with Josh Wisniewski, cultural anthropologist for the Jamestown S’Klallam and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes.

The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. at the Cotton Building in Port Townsend.

This is the first year the lecture series will focus on a single theme: native arts, history and culture.

“There seems to be a lot of interest in native community arts, culture, heritage and history,” said Angie Bartlett, the historical society’s administrative assistant. “The series will feature scholars or native tribal members themselves in a variety of areas, anything pertaining to language, heritage, history and a couple of artists as well.”

Bartlett said previous lectures on the Native American canoe journey and art history were the most well-attended and highlighted the community’s desire to learn more about local Native American history.

“We kept getting a lot of feedback in the community saying we should do more of this,” Bartlett said. “This is a good kickoff point for building relationships with the local tribes.”

Wisniewski will focus his talk on his research on the S’Klallam and Chemakum tribes’ historically significant places on Indian Island, which now is used as the military ammunition depot called Naval Magazine Indian Island.

“I came across this evaluation he did of Indian Island and the different place names of historically and culturally significant areas throughout Indian Island,” Bartlett said. “Not a lot of people know about that … Why was it called Indian Island in the first place?”  

“It was pretty poignant coming into this institution and seeing the lack of native representation in our exhibitions and programming, and feeling like that was a place where there are a lot of opportunities for growth,” Historical Society Director Shelly Leavens said.

The focus on Native American history and art in the First Friday series will coincide with the opening of the Chetzemoka Interpretive Trail, a sign tour through Port Townsend to honor the last hereditary chief of the S’Klallam people, Chetzemoka.

Celeste Dybeck, a Jamestown S’Klallam elder, will be the second speaker in the series. She  will talk about the Chetzemoka Interpretive Trail on March 1

Leavens said the layer of Native American history and culture in Port Townsend isn’t always obvious, especially to visitors who focus on the historic buildings.

“It’s about our local residents and visitors to Port Townsend understanding that there are many more layers than what you can see,” she said.

Besides having a single theme, the First Friday lectures will have a few new features this year.

The lectures will rotate between the Cotton Building and the Northwest Maritime Center.

General admission is $5 to $10 per location, but the historical society also is offering a season pass. The pass will cost $50 for JCHS members and $65 for non-members and will ensure a reserved seat at each program and a reception with the speaker from 6 to 6:30 p.m., prior to their presentation at 7 p.m.

The following lectures will be presented:

Feb. 1

Josh Wisniewski, Jamestown S’Klallam and Port Gamble S’Klallam anthropologist. S’Klallam & Chemakum historically significant places on Indian Island. Cotton Building.

March 1

Celeste Dybeck, Jefferson County Historical Society trustee and elder, Jamestown S’Klallam. Chetzemoka Trail in Port Townsend. Cotton Building.

April 5

Janine Ledford, executive director, Makah Cultural & Research Center. Makah Tribe’s cultural preservation programs, the role of the Makah Cultural and Research Center, the impact of the Ozette excavation. Northwest Maritime Center.

May 3

David Brownell, historic preservation officer for the Jamestown S’Klallam. Ethnographic and archaeological research on one of the ancestral villages of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe that stood at Washington Harbor. Cotton Building.

June 7

Glenys Ong, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act collections assistant at Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle. Repatriation & NAGPRA from the Burke Museum. Northwest Maritime Center.

July 5

Alexandra Peck, Ph.D. candidate at Brown University. Coast Salish-White relations, totem poles. S’Klallam and non-native totem poles of the northern Olympic peninsula. Northwest Maritime Center.

Aug. 2

Roger Fernandes, Lower Elwha Klallam storyteller, artist and historian, Coast Salish art and storytelling. Northwest Maritime Center.

Sept. 6

Mackenzie Grinnell (Prince), Jamestown S’Klallam teen program coordinator and traditional foods program assistant. Native youth activism and cultural preservation work with native youth. Cotton Building.  

Oct. 4

Wendy Sampson, Lower Elwha Klallam language teacher. S’Klallam language. Cotton Building

Nov. 1

Tracy Rector, filmmaker, curator, community organizer, co-founder of Longhouse Media / Seminole-Choctaw. Curatorial work and the making of the film DAWNLAND. Northwest Maritime Center.