A bobcat glares at a rattlesnake in the high desert; a duck dives underwater and comes face-to-face with a sturgeon; wolf cubs circle a nervous elk in a cedar grove. These are but a few scenes readers can find in “Kalapuya Chinuk wawa Ikanum,” a 26-page self-published book that teaches the names of wildlife in the English, Kalapuya and Chinook languages.
Research and writing was done by David G. Lewis, an assistant professor of anthropology and Indigenous studies at Oregon State University. He’s written articles and a book about Indigenous people in the Willamette Valley, and maintains a blog about the region’s culture and history. Lewis said he was inspired to do the book after seeing a similar children’s board book produced by the Cow Creek Tribe, which shared animal names in the Takelma language.
“I got the actual spellings from the experts, and then I also wrote a little bit of history on the language programs themselves,” said Lewis. “And then I also wrote a little bit on the history of the language programs themselves, whether or not Kalapuyan is spoken anymore.”
“Kalapuya” and “Chinuk wawa” refer to the languages featured in the book, while “Ikanum” is a Chinuk wawa word meaning “oral histories” or “stories,” according to Lewis. The book includes a full listing of glossary terms at the back, which provides readers with the names of the featured plants and animals in all three languages. (For example, the name for deer is also “atálim” and “mawich.”)
Lewis’ 25-year-old son, Saghaley, did the illustrations. He’s done commissions and projects here and there, and maintains an Instagram page that features fan art and original works. Roughly two years ago after his father observed his growing talent and popularity, he asked Saghaley about collaborating on a book.
The immediate reply?
“Sure.”
Multiple inspirations for the rising artist
The younger Lewis said he’s largely self-taught, but studied visual communications and multimedia arts at Chemeketa Community College and video and game design at Salem’s Career Technical Education Center program. Many of his works are evocative of sci-fi and fantasy worlds including those shown in Studio Ghibli films, the existentialist movies of Fritz Lang, and the cyberpunk/dystopian future seen in “Bladerunner.” Lewis said he draws a lot of his inspiration from Spanish illustrator Carles Dalmau, as well as several animated series from Glitch Productions, including “Murder Drones,” “Knights of Guinevere,” and “The Amazing Digital Circus.”
“It's sort of a mix between Western cartooning and manga-ish anime,” he said.
Both Lewises are currently working the holiday market circuit across the region, where copies of “Kalapuya-Chinuk wawa Ikanum” are prominently displayed on a tabletop.
“Kids walk by and they're like, ‘Whoa, what's that?’ Like it just pops out at them, it makes me happy when kids enjoy it,” said Saghaley Lewis.
The self-published book can be found at several shops including the Springfield History Museum and the Spirit Mountain Casino, as well as ordered online from the Lewises’ personal sites. These can be individual copies or bulk orders sold at wholesale prices.
One enthusiastic supporter is Madeline McGraw, the Springfield museum’s curator. She said she’s long respected David G. Lewis, back when he advised an exhibit called Illumination that collected and shared oral histories from marginalized communities, including those of Alaska Native people in Springfield.
“Usually we try to find things that are related to this part of the Willamette Valley,” said McGraw. “And we were chatting and (Lewis) was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got a new book’ and I was like, ‘Alright, whatever it is, gimme gimme!”
McGraw said colonization through the centuries has inflicted many “horrible things” upon Indigenous people, including the eradication of the Kalapuya language.
“So there's not a lot of resources out there for people to learn more about it, especially for kids,” she said. “So to have something that includes Chinuk wawa and Kalapuya, and in a format where we can get it out to the public, that's just a slam dunk in my book.”
McGraw said the collaboration between David G. Lewis and his son just makes the book all the more special. “Saghaley’s artwork is just so striking and so amazing. It's an important book. It's a well-made book. And so we want to see them succeed. We want to see this book get out.”
Meanwhile, the younger Lewis is exploring a new book with his mother Donna, a special education teacher who works for the Salem-Keizer Public Schools. It’ll focus on special education students and feature his illustrations as well. Once that’s done, he and his father will explore further collaborations on children’s books that explore Indigenous languages.
Copyright 2026, KLCC News.
